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THE   CATTLE-BARON'S   DAUGHTER 


A   FIERCE  WHITE  FROTHING  ABOUT  HIM.— P^^^  jjj*. 


THE 

CATTLE-BARON'S 
DAUGHTER 

BY 

HAROLD  BINDLOSS 

M 

Author  of  ^*  Alton  of  SomtMcOy'^  eie. 


NEW  YORK 

GROSSET  &   DUNLAP 

PUBUSHERS 


Copyright,  1906,  by 
PRJ^DERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 


This  .Editian  ^pujali^tipd  in^  September,   1906 


All  right*  reserved 


CONTENTS 


1 

The  Portent 

I 

II 

Hetty  Takes  Heed     . 

.       12 

III 

The  Cattle-Barons    . 

.      26 

IV 

MuLLER  Stands  Fast  . 

.    39 

V 

Hetty  Comes  Home    . 

•     50 

VI 

The  Incendiary 

.    62 

VII 

Larry  Proves  Intractable 

.    72 

VIII 

The  Sheriff 

.         .    85 

IX 

The  Prisoner     . 

.    96 

X 

On  the  Trail     .         ... 

.  no 

XI 

Larry's  Acquittal 

.  122 

XII 

The  Sprouting  of  the  Seed 

.  134 

XIII 

Under  Fire 

•  144 

XIV 

Torrance's  Warning  . 

•  '55 

XV 

Hetty's  Bounty. 

.        .  .63 

XVI 

Larry  Solves  the  Difficulty 

,  177 

XVII 

Larry's  Peril     . 

.  189 

XVIII 

A  Futile  Pursuit 

.  201 

XIX 

Torrance  Asks  a  Question 

.  212 

XX 

Hetty's  Obstinacy 

.  224 

XXI 

Clavering  Appears  Ridiculous 

.  238 

XXII 

The  Cavalry  Officer 

.  250 

M34102 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGB 

XX HI    Hetty's  Avowal 262 

XXIV    The  Stock  Train 272 

XXV  Cheyne  Relieves  His  Feelings        .         .         .  286 

XXVI     Larry's  Reward 296 

XXVU    Clavering's  Last  Card 309 

XXVHI     Larry  Rides  to  Cedar 321 

XXIX     Hetty  Decides 331 

XXX  Larry's  Wedding  Day     .        a        .        .         .343 

XXXI  Torrance  Ribes  Away             •        •        .        .355 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

"Come  down  !" Facing  page    48 

"She  'll  shoot  me  before  she  means  to/'      '*         **        66 
a  white  face  and  shadowy  head,  from 

which  the  FUR  CAP  HAD  FALLEN    ....        **  **        1 14 

"Aren't  you  a  trifle  late?" **  **      i6o 

There  was  a  note  in  her  voice  that  set 

the  man's  heart  beating  furiously.      "         "      268 

A  fierce  white  frothing  about  him Frontispiece 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 


THE  PORTENT 

The  hot  weather  had  come  suddenly,  at  least  a  month 
earlier  than  usual,  and  New  York  lay  baking  under  a 
scorching  sun  when  Miss  Hetty  Torrance  sat  in  the 
coolest  corner  of  the  Grand  Central  Depot  she  could  find. 
It  was  by  her  own  wish  she  had  spent  the  afternoon  in 
the  city  unattended,  for  Miss  Torrance  was  a  self-reliant 
young  woman ;  but  it  was  fate  and  the  irregularity  of  the 
little  gold  watch,  which  had  been  her  dead  mother's  gift, 
that  brought  her  to  the  depot  at  least  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  too  soon.  But  she  was  not  wholly  sorry,  for  she 
had  desired  more  solitude  and  time  for  reflection  than 
she  found  in  the  noisy  city,  where  a  visit  to  an  eminent 
modiste  had  occupied  most  of  her  leisure.  There  was, 
she  had  reasons  for  surmising,  a  decision  of  some  moment 
to  be  made  that  night,  and  as  yet  she  was  no  nearer  arriv- 
ing at  it  than  she  had  been  when  the  little  note  then  in 
her  pocket  had  been  handed  her. 

Still,  it  was  not  the  note  she  took  out  when  she  found  a 
seat  apart  from  the  hurrying  crowd,  but  a  letter  from  her 
father,  Torrance,  the  Cattle-Baron,  of  Cedar  Range.  It 
was  terse  and  to  the  point,  as  usual,  and  a  little  smile: 
crept  into  the  girl's  face  as  she  read. 

"  Your  letter  to  hand,  and  so  long  as  you  have  a  good 
time  don't  worry  about  the  bills.     You'll  find  another  five 

I 


THE  GATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

hundred  dollars  at  the  bank  when  you  want  them.  Thank 
God,  I  can  give  my  daughter  what  her  mother  should 
have  had.  Two  years  since  I've  seen  my  little  girl,  and 
now  it  seems  that  somebody  else  is  wanting  her !  Well,. 
we  were  made  men  and  women,  and  if  you  had  been 
meant  to  live  alone  dabbling  in  music  you  wouldn't  have 
been  given  your  mother's  face.  Now,  I  don't  often  ex- 
press myself  this  way,  but  I've  had  a  letter  from  Captain 
Jackson  Cheyne,  U.  S.  Cavalry,  which  reads  as  straight 
as  I've  found  the  man  to  be.  Nothing  wrong  with  that 
family,  and  they've  dollars  to  spare;  but  if  you  like  the 
man  I  can  put  down  two  for  every  one  of  his.  Well,  I 
might  write  a  good  deal,  but  you're  too  much  like  your 
father  to  be  taken  in.  You  want  dollars  and  station, 
and  I  can  see  you  get  them,  but  in  a  contract  of  this 
kind  the  man  is  everything.  Make  quite  sure  you're 
getting  the  right  one." 

There  was  a  little  more  to  the  same  purpose,  and 
when  she  slipped  the  letter  into  her  pocket  Hetty  Tor- 
rance smiled. 

"  The  dear  old  man ! "  she  said.  "  It  is  very  like 
him;  but  whether  Jake  is  the  right  one  or  not  is  just 
what  I  can't  decide." 

Then  she  sat  still,  looking  straight  in  front  of  her,  a 
very  attractive  picture,  as  some  of  the  hurrying  men  who 
turned  to  glance  at  her  seemed  to  find,  in  her  long  light 
dress.  Her  face,  which  showed  a  delicate  oval  under 
the  big  white  hat,  was  a  trifle  paler  than  is  usual  with 
most  Englishwomen  of  her  age,  and  the  figure  the  thin 
•fabric  clung  about  less  decided  in  outline.  Still,  the  faint 
warmth  in  her  cheeks  emphasized  the  clear  pallor  of  her 
skin,  and  there  was  a  depth  of  brightness  in  the  dark 
eyes  that  would  have  atoned  for  a  good  deal  more  than 
there  was  in  her  case  necessity  for.    Her  supple  slender- 

2 


THE  PORTENT 

ness  also  became  Hetty  Torrance  well,  and  there  was  a 
suggestion  of  nervous  energy  in  her  very  pose.  In  addi- 
tion to  all  this,  she  was  a  rich  man's  daughter,  who  had 
been  well  taught  in  the  cities,  and  had  since  enjoyed 
all  that  wealth  and  refinement  could  offer  her.  It  had 
also  been  a  cause  of  mild  astonishment  to  the  friends  she 
had  spent  the  past  year  with,  that  with  these  advantages, 
she  had  remained  Miss  Torrance.  They  had  been  some- 
what proud  of  their  guest,  and  opportunities  had  not  been 
wanting  had  she  desired  to  change  her  status. 

While  she  sat  there  musing,  pale-faced  citizens  hurried 
past,  great  locomotives  crawled  to  and  fro,  and  long 
trains  of  cars,  white  with  the  dust  of  five  hundred  leagues, 
rolled  in.  Swelling  in  deeper  cadence,  the  roar  of  the 
city  came  faintly  through  the  din ;  but,  responsive  to  the 
throb  of  life  as  she  usually  was,  Hetty  Torrance  heard 
nothing  of  it  then,  for  she  was  back  in  fancy  on  the  grey- 
white  prairie  two  thousand  miles  away.  It  was  a  deso- 
late land  of  parched  grass  and  bitter  lakes  with  beaches 
dusty  with  alkali,  but  a  rich  one  to  the  few  who  held 
dominion  over  it,  and  she  had  received  the  homage  of  a 
princess  there.  Then  she  heard  a  voice  that  was  quite 
in  keeping  with  the  spirit  of  the  scene,  and  was  scarcely 
astonished  to  see  that  a  man  was  smiling  down  on 
her. 

He  was  dressed  in  city  garments,  and  they  became  him ; 
but  the  hand  he  held  out  was  lean,  and  hard,  and  brown, 
and,  for  he  stood  bareheaded,  a  paler  streak  showed 
where  the  wide  hat  had  shielded  a  face  that  had  been 
darkened  by  stinging  alkali  dust  from  the  prairie  sun.  It 
was  a  quietly  forceful  face,  with  steady  eyes,  which  had 
a  little  sparkle  of  pleasure  in  them,  and  were  clear  and 
brown,  while  something  in  the  man's  sinewy  pose  sug- 
gested that  he  would  have  been  at  home  in  the  saddle. 

3 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Indeed,  it  was  in  the  saddle  that  Hetty  Torrance  remem- 
bered him  most  vividly,  hurling  his  half-tamed  broncho 
straight  at  a  gully  down  which  the  nondescript  pack 
streamed,  while  the  scarcely  seen  shape  of  a  coyote 
blurred  by  the  dust,  streaked  the  prairie  in  front  of  them. 

"Hetty!  "he  said. 

"  Larry !  "  said  the  girl.  "  Why,  whatever  are  you 
doing  here  ?  " 

Then  both  laughed  a  little,  perhaps  to  conceal  the  faint 
constraint  that  was  upon  them,  for  a  meeting  between 
former  comrades  has  its  difficulties  when  one  is  a  man  and 
the  other  a  woman,  and  the  bond  between  them  has  not 
been  defined. 

"  I  came  in  on  business  a  day  or  two  ago,^^  said  the  man. 
"  Ran  round  to  check  some  packages.  I'm  going  back 
again  to-morrow." 

"  Well,"  said  the  girl,  "  I  was  in  the  city,  and  came  here 
to  meet  Flo  Schuyler  and  her  sister.  They'll  be  in  at 
four." 

The  man  looked  at  his  watch.  "  That  gives  us  'most 
fifteen  minutes,  but  it's  not  going  to  be  enough.  We'll 
lose  none  of  it.     What  about  the  singing?  " 

Hetty  Torrance  flushed  a  trifle.  "  Larry,"  she  said, 
"  you  are  quite  sure  you  don't  know  ?  " 

The  man  appeared  embarrassed,  and  there  was  a  trace 
of  gravity  in  his  smile.  "  Your  father  told  me  a  little ; 
but  I  haven't  seen  him  so  often  of  late.  Any  way,  I 
would  sooner  you  told  me." 

"  Then,"  said  the  girl,  with  the  faintest  of  quivers  in 
her  voice,  "  the  folks  who  understand  good  music  don't 
care  to  hear  me." 

There  was  incredulity,  which  pleased  his  companion,  in 
the  man's  face,  but  his  voice  vaguely  suggested  content- 
ment, 

4 


THE  PORTENT 

"  That  is  just  what  they  can't  do/'  he  said  decisively, 
*^  You  sing  most  divinely." 

"  There  is  a  good  deal  you  and  the  boys  at  Cedar  don't 
know,  Larry.  Any  way,  lots  of  people  sing  better  than 
I  do,  but  I  should  be  angry  with  you  if  I  thought  you 
were  pleased." 

The  man  smiled  gravely.  "  That  would  hurt.  I'm 
sorry  for  you,  Hetty ;  but  again  I'm  glad.  Now  there's 
nothing  to  keep  you  in  the  city,  you'll  come  back  to  us. 
iYou  belong  to  the  prairie,  and  it's  a  better  place  than 
this." 

He  spoke  at  an  opportune  moment.  Since  her  cher- 
ished ambition  had  failed  her,  Hetty  Torrance  had  grown 
a  trifle  tired  of  the  city  and  the  round  of  pleasure  that 
must  be  entered  into  strenuously,  and  there  were  times 
when,  looking  back  in  reverie,  she  saw  the  great  silent 
prairie  roll  back  under  the  red  sunrise  into  the  east,  and 
fade,  vast,  solemn,  and  restful,  a  cool  land  of  shadow, 
;when  the  first  pale  stars  came  out.  Then  she  longed  for 
the  jingle  of  the  bridles  and  the  drumming  of  the  hoofs, 
and  felt  once  more  the  rush  of  the  gallop  stir  her  blood. 
But  this  was  what  she  would  not  show,  and  her  eyes 
twinkled  a  trifle  maliciously. 

"Well,  I  don't  quite  know,"  she  said.  "There  is 
always  one  thing  left  to  most  of  us." 

She  saw  the  man  wince  ever  so  slightly,  and  was 
pleased  at  it ;  but  he  was,  as  she  had  once  told  him  in  the 
«  old  days,  grit  all  through,  and  he  smiled  a  little. 

"Of  course!"  he  said.  "Still,  the  trouble  is  that 
there  are  very  few  of  us  good  enough  for  you.  But  you 
will  come  back  for  a  little?  " 

Miss  Torrance  would  not  commit  herself.  "  How  are 
they  getting  along  at  the  Range?  " 

"  Doesn't  your  father  write  you  ?  " 

5 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  Yes,"  said  the  girl,  colouring  a  trifle.  "  I  had  a 
letter  from  him  a  few  days  ago,  but  he  seldom  mentioned 
what  he  was  doing,  and  I  want  you  to  tell  me  about 
him." 

The  man  appeared  thoughtful.  "  Well,"  he  said,  "it's 
quite  three  months  since  I  spoke  to  him.  He  was  stir- 
ring round  as  brisk  as  ever,  and  is  rolling  the  dollars  in 
this  year." 

"  But  you  used  to  be  always  at  the  Range." 

The  man  nodded,  but  the  slight  constraint  that  was 
upon  him  did  not  escape  the  girl.  "  Still,  I  don't  go 
there  so  often  now.  The  Range  is  lonesome  when  you 
are  away." 

Miss  Torrance  accepted  the  speech  as  one  made  by  a 
comrade,  and  perhaps  was  wrong,  but  a  tramp  of  feet 
attracted  her  attention  then,  and  she  looked  away  from 
her  companion.  Driven  by  the  railroad  officials,  and  led 
by  an  interpreter,  a  band  of  Teutons  some  five  or  six 
hundred  strong  filed  into  the  station.  Stalwart  and  stolid, 
tow-haired,  with  the  stamp  of  acquiescent  patience  in 
their  homely  faces,  they  came  on  with  the  swing,  but  none 
of  the  usual  spirit,  of  drilled  men.  They  asked  no  ques- 
tions, but  went  where  they  were  led,  and  the  foulness 
of  the  close-packed  steerage  seemed  to  cling  about  them^ 
For  a  time  the  depot  rang  to  the  rhythmic  tramp  of  feet, 
and  when,  at  a  sign  from  the  interpreter,  it  stopped,  two 
bewildered  children,  frowsy  and  unwashed,  in  greasy^ 
homespun,  sat  down  and  gazed  at  Miss  Torrance  with' 
mild  blue  eyes.  She  signed  to  a  boy  who  was  passing 
with  a  basket  slung  before  him,  and  made  a  little  impa- 
tient gesture  when  the  man  slipped  his  hand  into  his 
pocket. 

"No,"  she  said;  "you'll  make  me  vexed  with  you. 
Tell  him  to  give  them  all  he  has.  They'll  be  a  long 
while  in  the  cars." 


I 


THE  PORTENT 

She  handed  the  boy  a  silver  coin,  and  while  the  children 
sat  still,  undemonstratively  astonished,  with  the  golden 
fruit  about  them,  the  man  passed  him  a  bill. 

"  Now  get  some  more  oranges,  and  begin  right  at 
the  top  of  the  line,"  he  said.  '*  If  that  doesn't  see  you 
through,  come  back  to  me  for  another  bill.'' 

Hetty  Torrance's  eyes  softened.  "  Larry,"  she  said, 
"  that  was  dreadfully  good  of  you.  Where  are  they  all 
going  to  ?  " 

"  Chicago,  Nebraska,  Minnesota,  Montana,"  said  the 
man.  "  There  are  the  cars  coming  in.  Just  out  of 
Castle  Garden,  and  it's  because  of  the  city  improvements 
disorganizing  traffic  they're  bringing  them  this  way. 
They're  the  advance  guard,  you  see,  and  there  are  more 
of  them  coming." 

The  tramp  of  feet  commenced  again,  but  this  time  it 
was  a  horde  of  diverse  nationality.  Englishmen,  Irish- 
men, Poles,  and  Finns,  but  all  with  the  stamp  of  toil,  and 
many  with  that  of  scarcity  upon  them.  Bedraggled,  un- 
kempt, dejected,  eager  with  the  cunning  that  comes  of 
adversity,  they  flowed  in,  and  Hetty  Torrance's  face  grew 
pitiful  as  she  watched  them. 

*'  Do  they  come  every  week  like  this  and,  even  in  our 
big  country,  have  we  got  room  for  all  of  them  ?  "  she* 
said. 

There  was  a  curious  gleam  in  the  man's  brown  eyes. 
"  Oh,  yes,"  he  said.  "  It's  the  biggest  and  greatest  coun- 
try this  old  world  has  ever  seen,  and  the  Lord  made  it  as 
a  home  for  the  poor — the  folks  they've  no  food  or  use  for 
back  yonder ;  and,  while  there  are  short-sighted  fools  who 
would  close  the  door,  we  take  them  in,  outcast  and  hope- 
less, and  put  new  heart  in  them.  In  a  few  short  years 
we  make  them  men  and  useful  citizens,  the  equal  of  any 
on  this  earth — Americans !  " 

7 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Hetty  Torrance  nodded,  and  there  was  pride  but  no 
amusement  in  her  smile;  for  she  had  a  quick  enthusiasm, 
and  the  reticence  of  Insular  Britain  has  no  great  place  in 
that  country. 

"Still,"  she  said;  "all  these  people  coming  in  must 
make  a  difference." 

The  man's  face  grew  grave.  "  Yes,"  he  said ;  "  there 
will  have  to  be  a  change,  and  it  is  coming.  We  are  only 
outwardly  democratic  just  now,  and  don't  seem  to  know 
that  men  are  worth  more  than  millionaires.  We  have  let 
them  get  their  grip  on  our  industries,  and  too  much  of 
our  land,  until  what  would  feed  a  thousand  buys  canvas- 
backs,  and  wines  from  Europe  for  one.  Isn't  what  we 
raise  in  California  good  enough  for  Americans  ?  " 

Miss  Torrance's  eyes  twinkled.  "  Some  of  it  isn't 
very  nice,  and  they  don't  live  on  canvas-backs,"  she  said. 
"  Still,  it  seems  to  me  that  other  men  have  talked  like 
that  quite  a  thousand  years  ago;  and,  while  I  don't  know 
anyone  better  at  breaking  a  broncho  or  cutting  out  a  steer, 
straightening  these  affairs  out  is  too  big  a  contract  for 
you." 

The  man  laughed  pleasantly.  "  That's  all  right,  but  I 
can  do  a  little  in  the  place  I  belong  to,  and  the  change  is 
•beginning  there.  Is  it  good  for  this  country  that  one 
man  should  get  rich  feeding  his  cattle  on  leagues  of 
prairie  where  a  hundred  families  could  make  a  living 
growing  wheat  ?  " 

"  Now,"  said  the  girl  drily,  "  I  know  why  you  and  my 
father  haven't  got  on.  Your  opinions  wouldn't  please 
him,  Larry." 

"  No,"  said  the  man,  with  a  trace  of  embarrassment, 
"  I  don't  think  they  would ;  and  that's  just  why  we've  got 
to  convince  him  and  the  others  that  what  we  want  to  do 
is  for  the  good  of  the  country." 

8 


THE  PORTENT 

Hetty  Torrance  laughed.  "  It's  going  to  be  hard.  Na 
man  wants  to  believe  anything  is  good  when  he  sees  it 
will  take  quite  a  pile  of  dollars  out  of  his  pocket." 

The  man  said  nothing,  and  Hetty  fancied  he  was  not 
desirous  of  following  up  the  topic,  while  as  they  sat  silent 
a  big  locomotive  backed  another  great  train  of  emigrant 
cars  in.  Then  the  tramp  of  feet  commenced  again,  and 
once  more  a  frowsy  host  of  outcasts  from  the  over- 
crowded lands  poured  into  the  depot.  Wagons  piled 
with  baggage  had  preceded  them,  but  many  dragged  their 
pitiful  belongings  along  with  them,  and  the  murmur  of 
their  alien  voices  rang  through  the  bustle  of  the  station. 
Hetty  Torrance  was  not  unduly  fanciful,  but  those  foot- 
steps caused  her,  as  she  afterwards  remembered,  a  vague 
concern.  She  believed,  as  her  father  did,  that  America 
was  made  for  the  Americans ;  but  it  was  evident  that  in 
a  few  more  years  every  unit  of  those  incoming  legions 
would  be  a  citizen  of  the  Republic,  with  rights  equal  to 
those  enjoyed  by  Torrance  of  Cedar  Range.  She  had 
seen  that  as  yet  the  constitution  gave  no  man  more  than 
he  could  by  his  own  hand  obtain ;  but  it  seemed  not  un- 
likely that  some,  at  least,  of  those  dejected,  unkempt  men 
had  struck  for  the  rights  of  humanity  that  were  denied 
them  in  the  older  lands  with  dynamite  and  rifle. 

Then,  as  the  first  long  train  of  grimy  cars  rolled  out 
close  packed  with  their  frowsy  human  freight,  a  train  of 
another  kind  came  in,  and  two  young  women  in  light 
dresses  swung  themselves  down  from  the  platform  of  a 
car  that  was  sumptuous  with  polished  woods  and  gilding. 
Miss  Torrance  rose  as  she  saw  them,  and  touched  her 
companion. 

"  Come  along,  Larry,  and  I'll  show  you  two  of  the 
nicest  girls  you  ever  met,"  she  said. 

9 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

The  man  laughed.  "  They  would  have  been  nicer  if 
they  hadn't  come  quite  so  soon/'  he  said. 

He  followed  his  companion  and  was  duly  presented  to 
Miss  Flora  and  Miss  Caroline  Schuyler.  "  Larry  Grant 
of  Fremont  Ranch,"  said  Miss  Torrance.  *'  Larry  is  a 
great  friend  of  mine." 

The  Misses  Schuyler  were  pretty.  Carolina,  the 
younger,  pale,  blue-eyed,  fair-haired  and  vivacious;  her 
sister  equally  blonde,  but  a  trifle  quieter.  Although  they 
were  gracious  to  him.  Grant  fancied  that  one  flashed 
a  questioning  glance  at  the  other  when  there  was  a  halt 
in  the  conversation.  Then,  as  if  by  tacit  agreement,  they 
left  him  alone  a  moment  with  their  companion,  and  Hetty 
Torrance  smiled  as  she  held  out  her  hand. 

"  I  can't  keep  them  waiting,  but  you'll  come  and  see 
me,"  she  said. 

"  I  am  going  home  to-morrow,"  said  the  man. 
"  When  are  you  coming,  Hetty?  " 

The  girl  smiled  curiously,  and  there  was  a  trace  of 
wistfulness  in  her  eyes.  *'  I  don't  quite  know.  Just  now 
I  fancy  I  may  not  come  at  all,  but  you  will  not  forget  me, 
Larry." 

The  man  looked  at  her  very  gravely,  and  Hetty  Tor- 
rance appeared  to  find  something  disconcerting  in  his 
gaze,  for  she  turned  her  head  away. 

"  No,"  he  said,  and  there  was  a  little  tremor  in  his 
voice,  "  I  don't  think  I  shall  forget  you.  Well,  if  ever 
you  grow  tired  of  the  cities  you  will  remember  the  lonely 
folks  who  are  longing  to  have  you  home  again  back  there 
on  the  prairie." 

Hetty  Torrance  felt  her  fingers  quiver  under  his  grasp, 
but  the  next  moment  he  had  turned  away,  and  her  com- 
panions noticed  there  was  a  faint  pink  tinge  in  her  cheeks 
when  she  rejoined  them.     But  being  wise  young  women, 

10 


THE  PORTENT 

they  restrained  their  natural  inquisitiveness,  and  asked 
no  questions  then. 

In  the  meanwhile  Grant,  who  watched  them  until  the 
last  glimpse  of  their  light  dresses  was  lost  in  the  crowd, 
stood  beside  the  second  emigrant  train  vacantly  glancing 
at  the  aliens  who  thronged  about  it  His  bronzed  face 
was  a  trifle  weary,  and  his  lips  were  set,  but  at  last  he 
straightened  his  shoulders  with  a  little  resolute  movement 
and  turned  away. 

"  I  have  my  work,"  he  said,  "  and  it's  going  to  be  quite 
enough  for  me/' 


ir 


II 

HETTY  TAKES   HEED 

It  was  evening  when  Hetty  Torrance  sat  alone  in  a 
•room  of  Mrs.  Schuyler's  house  at  Hastings-upon-the 
Hudson.  The  room  was  pretty,  though  its  adornment 
was  garish  and  somewhat  miscellaneous,  consisting  as  it 
did  of  the  trophies  of  Miss  Schuyler's  European  tour.  'A 
Parisian  clock,  rich  in  gilded  scroll  work  to  the  verge 
of  barbarity,  contrasted  with  the  artistic  severity  of  one 
or  two  good  Italian  marbles,  while  these  in  turn  stood 
quaintly  upon  choice  examples  of  time-mellowed  English 
cabinet-work.  There  was  taste  in  them  all,  but  they  suf- 
fered from  the  juxtaposition,  which,  however,  was  some- 
what characteristic  of  the  country.  Still,  Miss  Schuyler 
had  not  spoiled  the  splendid  parquetrie  floor  of  American 
timber. 

The  windows  were  open  wide,  and  when  a  little  breeze 
from  the  darkening  river  came  up  across  the  lawn,  Hetty 
languidly  raised  her  head.  The  coolness  was  grateful, 
the  silken  cushions  she  reclined  amidst  luxurious,  but  the 
girl's  eyes  grew  thoughtful  as  they  wandered  round  the 
room,  for  that  evening  the  suggestion  of  wealth  in  all  she 
saw  jarred  upon  her  mood.  The  great  city  lay  not  very 
far  away,  sweltering  with  its  crowded  tenement  houses 
under  stifling  heat ;  and  she  could  picture  the  toilers  who 
herded  there,  gasping  for  air.  Then  her  fancy  fled 
further,  following  the  long  emigrant  train  as  it  crawled 
west  from  side-track  to  side-track,  close  packed  with 

12 


HETTY  TAKES  HEED 

humanity  that  was  much  less  cared  for  than  her  father's 
cattle. 

She  had  often  before  seen  the  dusty  cars  roll  into  a 
wayside  depot  to  wait  until  the  luxurious  limited  passed, 
and  the  grimy  faces  at  the  windows,  pale  and  pinched, 
cunning,  or  coarsely  brutal,  after  the  fashion  of  their 
kind,  had  roused  no  more  than  a  passing  pity.  It  was, 
however,  different  that  night,  for  Grant's  words  had 
roused  her  to  thought,  and  she  wondered  with  a  vague 
apprehension  whether  the  tramp  of  weary  feet  she  had  * 
listened  to  would  once  more  break  in  upon  her  sheltered 
life.  Larry  had  foreseen  changes,  and  he  was  usually 
right.  Then  she  brushed  these  fancies  into  the  back- 
ground, for  she  had  still  a  decision  to  make.  Captain 
Cheyne  would  shortly  arrive,  and  she  knew  what  he  came* 
to  ask.  He  was  also  a  personable  man,  and,  so  far  as 
the  Schuylers  knew,  without  reproach,  while  Hetty  had 
seen  a  good  deal  of  him  during  the  past  twelve  months. 
She  admitted  a  liking  for  him,  but  now  that  the  time  had 
come  to  decide,  she  was  not  certain  that  she  would  care 
to  spend  her  life  with  him.  As  a  companion,  he  left 
nothing  to  be  desired,  but,  as  had  happened  already  with 
another  man  with  whom  Miss  Torrance  had  been  pleased, 
that  position  did  not  appear  to  content  him ;  and  she  had 
misgivings  about  contracting  a  more  permanent  bond.. 
It  was  almost  a  relief  when  Miss  Schuyler  came  in. 

"  Stand  up,  Hetty.     I  want  to  look  at  you,"  she  said.. 

Miss  Torrance  obeyed  and  stood  before  her,  girlishly 
slender  in  her  long  dress,  though  there  was  an  indefinite 
suggestion  of  imperiousness  in  her  dark  eyes. 

"Willi  pass?"  she  asked. 

Flora  Schuyler  surveyed  her  critically  and  then 
laughed.  "  Yes,"  she  said.  *'  You're  pretty  enough  to 
please  anybody,  and  there's  a  style  about  you  that  makes 

13 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

it  quite  plain  you  were  of  some  importance  out  there  on 
the  prairie.  Now  you  can  sit  down  again,  because  I 
want  to  talk  to  you.     Who's  Larry  Grant?  " 

"  Tell  me  what  you  think  of  him." 

Miss  Schuyler  pursed  her  lips  reflectively.  "  Well/' 
she  said,  "  he's  not  New  York.  Quite  a  good-looking 
man,  with  a  good  deal  in  him,  but  I'd  like  to  see  him 
on  horseback.  Been  in  the  cavalry?  You're  fond  of 
them,  you  know.'' 

•     "  No,"  said  Hetty,  "  but  he  knows  more  about  horses 
than  any  cavalry  officer.     Larry's  a  cattle-baron." 

"  I  never  quite  knew  what  the  cattle-barons  were,  ex- 
cept Aat  your  father's  one,  and  they're  mostly  rich,"  said 
Miss  Schuyler. 

•  Hetty's  eyes  twinkled.  "  I  don't  think  Larry's  very 
rich.  They're  the  men  or  the  sons  of  them,  who  went 
west  when  the  prairie  belonged  to  the  Indians  and  the 
Blackfeet,  Crows,  and  Crees  made  them  lots  of  trouble. 
Still,  they  held  the  land  they  settled  on,  and  covered  it 
with  cattle,  until  the  Government  gave  it  to  them,  'most 
as  much  as  you  could  ride  across  in  a  day,  to  each  big 
rancher." 

''Gave  it  to  them?" 

Hetty  nodded.  "A  lease  of  it.  It  means  the  same 
thing.  A  few  of  them,  though  I  think  it  wasn't  quite 
permitted,  bought  other  leases  in,  and  out  there  a  cattle- 
baron  is  a  bigger  man  than  a  railroad  king.  You  see, 
he  makes  the  law — all  there  is — as  well  as  supports  the 
industry,  for  there's  not  a  sheriff  in  the  country  dares 
question  him.  The  cattle-boys  are  his  retainers,  and 
we've  a  squadron  of  them  at  the  Range.  They'd  do  just 
what  Torrance  of  Cedar  told  them,  whatever  it  was,  and 
there  are  few  men  who  could  ride  with  them  in  the  U.  S. 
Cavalry." 

14 


HETTY  TAKES  HEED 

"  Then,"  said  Flora  Schuyler,  "  if  the  Government 
ever  encouraged  homesteading  in  their  country  they'd 
make  trouble." 

Hetty  laughed.  "  Yes,"  she  said  drily,  "  I  guess  they 
would,  but  no  government  dares  meddle  with  us." 

"  Well,"  said  Flora  Schuyler,  "  you  haven't  told  us  yet 
who  Larry  is.     You  know  quite  well  what  I  mean." 

Hetty  smiled.  "  I  called  him  my  partner  when  I  was 
home.  Larry  held  me  on  my  first  pony,  and  has  done 
'most  whatever  I  wanted  him  ever  since.  Fremont  isn't 
very  far  from  the  Range,  and  when  I  wanted  to  ride  any- 
where, or  to  have  a  new  horse  broken,  Larry  was  handy." 

Miss  Schuyler  appeared  reflective,  but  there  was  a 
bond  of  confidence  between  the  two,  and  the  reserve  that 
characterizes  the  Briton  is  much  less  usual  in  that  country. 

"  It  always  seemed  to  me,  my  dear,  that  an  arrange- 
ment of  that  kind  is  a  little  rough  on  the  man,  and  I  think 
this  one  is  too  good  to  spoil,"  she  said. 

Hetty  coloured  a  trifle,  but  she  smiled.  "  It  is  all 
right  with  Larry.     He  never  expected  anything." 

"No?"  said  Flora  Schuyler.  "He  never  tried  to 
make  love  to  you?  " 

The  tinge  of  colour  grew  a  trifle  deeper  in  Hetty's 
cheek.  "  Only  once,  and  I  scarcely  think  he  meant  it. 
It  was  quite  a  long  while  ago,  and  I  told  him  he  must 
never  do  it  again." 

"  And  since  then  he  has  tamed  your  horses,  and  bought 
you  all  the  latest  songs  and  books — good  editions  in  En- 
glish art  bindings.  It  was  Larry  who  sent  you  those 
flowers  when  we  could  scarcely  get  one?  " 

Hetty  for  some  reason  turned  away  her  head.  "  Don't 
you  get  things  of  that  kind  ?  " 

A  trace  of  gravity  crept  into  Flora  Schuyler's  blue 
eyes,  which  were  unusually  attractive  ones.     "  When  they 

15 


THE   CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

come  too  often  I  send  them  back,"  she  said.  "Oh,  I 
know  I'm  careless  now  and  then,  but  one  has  to  do  the 
square  thing,  and  I  wouldn't  let  any  man  do  all  that  for 
me  unless  I  was  so  fond  of  him  that  I  meant  to  marry 
him.  Now  I'm  going  to  talk  quite  straight  to  you,  Hetty. 
You'll  have  to  give  up  Larry  by  and  by,  but  if  you  find 
that's  going  to  hurt  you,  send  the  other  man  away." 

"  You  don't  understand,"  and  there  was  a  little  flash  in 
Hetty's  dark  eyes.  "  Larry's  kind  to  everyone — he  can't 
help  it;  but  he  doesn't  want  me." 

Flora  Schuyler  gravely  patted  her  companion's  arm. 
"  My  dear,  we  don't  want  to  quarrel,  but  you'll  be  care- 
ful— ^to  please  me.  Jake  Cheyne  is  coming,  and  you 
might  be  sorry  ever  after  if  you  made  a  mistake  to-night." 

Hetty  made  no  answer,  and  there  was  silence  for  a 
space  while  the  light  grew  dimmer,  until  the  sound  of 
voices  rose  from  without,  and  she  felt  her  heart  beat  a 
trifle  faster  than  usual,  when  somebody  said,  "  Captain 
Cheyne!" 

Then  there  was  a  rustle  of  draperies  and  Mrs.  Schuy- 
ler, thin,  angular,  and  considerably  more  silent  than  is 
customary  with  women  of  her  race,  came  in,  with  her 
younger  daughter  and  a  man  in  her  train.  The  latter 
bore  the  stamp  of  the  soldier  plainly,  but  there  was  a  dis- 
tinction in  his  pose  that  was  not  the  result  of  a  military 
training.  Then  as  he  shook  hands  with  Flora  Schuyler 
the  fading  light  from  the  window  fell  upon  his  face, 
showing  it  clean  cut  from  the  broad  forehead  to  the  solid 
chin,  and  reposeful  instead  of  nervously  mobile.  His 
even,  low-pitched  voice  was  also  in  keeping  with  it,  for 
Jackson  Cheyne  was  an  unostentatious  American  of  cul- 
ture widened  by  travel,  and,  though  they  are  not  always 
to  be  found  in  the  forefront  in  their  own  country,  unless 
it  has  need  of  them,  men  of  his  type  have  little  to  fear 

i6 


HETTY  TAKES  HEED 

from  comparison  with  those  to  be  met  with  in  any  other 
one. 

He  spoke  when  there  was  occasion,  and  was  Hstened 
to,  but  some  time  had  passed  before  he  turned  to  Mrs. 
Schuyler.  "  I  wonder  if  it  would  be  too  great  a  liberty  if 
I  asked  Miss  Torrance  to  give  us  some  music/'  he  said. 
*'  I  am  going  away  to-morrow  to  a  desolate  outpost  in 
New  Mexico,  and  it  will  be  the  last  time  for  months  that ' 
I  shall  have  a  treat  of  that  kind." 

Flora  Schuyler  opened  the  piano,  and  Hetty  smiled  at 
Cheyne  as  she  took  her  place;  but  the  man  made  a  little 
gesture  of  negation  when  Mrs.  Schuyler  would  have  rung 
for  lights. 
I  "  Wouldn't  it  be  nicer  as  it  is  ?  "  he  said. 
*  Hetty  nodded,  and  there  was  silence  before  the  first 
chords  rang  softly  through  the  room.  Though  it  may 
have  been  that  the  absence  of  necessity  to  strive  and  stain 
her  daintiness  amidst  the  press  was  responsible  for  much, 
Hetty  Torrance's  voice  had  failed  to  win  her  fame;  but 
she  sang  and  played  better  than  most  well-trained  ama- 
teurs. Thus  there  was  no  rustle  of  drapery  or  restless 
movements  until  the  last  low  notes  sank  into  the  stillness. 
Then  the  girl  glanced  at  the  man  who  had  unobtrusively 
managed  to  find  a  place  close  beside  her. 

"  You  know  what  that  is  ?  "  she  said. 

Carolina  Schuyler  laughed.  "  Jake  knows  every- 
thing!" 

"  Yes,"  said  the  man  quietly.  "  A  nocturne.  You 
were  thinking  of  something  when  you  played  it." 

"  The  sea,"  said  Flora  Schuyler,  "  when  the  moon  is 
on  it.     Was  that  it,  Hetty?  " 

"  No,"  said  Miss  Torrance,  who  afterwards  wondered 
whether  it  would  have  made  a  great  difference  if  she  had 
not  chosen  that  nocturne.     "  It  was  the  prairie  when  the 

17 


THE   CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

stars  are  coming  out  over  Cedar  Range.  Then  it  seems 
bigger  and  more  solemn  than  the  sea.  I  can  see  it  now, 
wide  and  grey  and  shadowy,  and  so  still  that  you  feel 
afraid  to  hear  yourself  breathing,  with  the  last  smoky 
flush  burning  on  its  northern  rim.  Now,  you  may  laugh 
at  me,  for  you  couldn't  understand.  When  you  have  been 
born  there,  you  always  love  the  prairie.'' 

Then  with  a  little  deprecatory  gesture  she  touched  the 
keys  again.     "  It  will  be  different  this  time." 

Cheyne  glanced  up  sharply  during  the  prelude,  and 
then,  feeling  that  the  girl's  eyes  were  upon  him,  nodded  as 
out  of  the  swelling  harmonies  there  crept  the  theme.  It 
suggested  the  tramp  of  marching  feet,  but  there  was  a 
curious  unevenness  in  its  rhythm,  and  the  crescendo  one 
of  the  listeners  looked  for  never  came.  The  room  was 
almost  dark  now,  but  none  of  those  who  sat  there  seemed 
to  notice  it  as  they  listened  to  the  listless  tramp  of  march- 
ing feet.  Then  the  harmonies  drowned  it  again,  and 
Hetty  looked  at  Cheyne. 

"  Now,"  she  said,  "  can  you  tell  me  what  that  means?  " 

Cheyne's  voice  seemed  a  trifle  strained,  as  though  the 
music  had  troubled  him.  "  I  know  the  march,  but  the 
composer  never  wrote  what  you  have  played  to-night,"  he 
said.  "  It  was — may  mine  be  defended  from  it ! — the 
shuffle  of  beaten  men.  How  could  you  have  felt  what 
you  put  into  the  music  ?  " 

"No,"  said  Hetty.  "Your  men  could  never  march' 
like  that.  It  was  footsteps  going  west,  and  I  could  not 
have  originated  their  dragging  beat.     I  have  heard  it." 

There  was  a  little  silence,  until  Cheyne  said  softly, 
"  One  more." 

"  Then,"  said  Hetty,  "  you  will  recognize  this." 

The  chords  rang  under  her  fingers  until  they  swelled 
into  confused  and  conflicting  harmonies  that  clashed  and 

i8 


HETTY  TAKES  HEED 

jarred  upon  the  theme.  Their  burden  was  strife  and 
struggle  and4he  anguish  of  strain,  until  at  last,  in  the  high 
clear  note  of  victory,  the  theme  rose  supreme. 

"  Yes,"  said  Flora  Schuyler,  "  we  know  that.  We 
heard  it  with  the  Kaiser  in  Berlin.  Only  one  man  could 
have  written  it ;  but  his  own  countrymen  could  not  play  it 
better  than  you  do.  A  little  overwhelming.  How  did 
you  get  down  to  the  spirit  of  it,  Hetty?  " 

Lights  were  brought  in  just  then,  and  they  showed  that 
the  girFs  face  was  a  trifle  paler  than  usual,  as  closing  the 
piano,  she  turned,  with  a  little  laugh,  upon  the  music-stool. 

"  Oh !  "  she  said,  "  I  don't  quite  know,  and  until  to- 
night it  always  cheated  me.  I  got  it  at  the  depot — no,  I 
didn't.  It  was  there  I  felt  the  marching,  and  Larry 
brought  the  prairie  back  to  me ;  but  I  couldn't  have  seen 
what  was  in  the  last  music,  because  it  hasn't  happened 
yet." 

"  It  will  come?"  said  Flora. 

"  Yes,"  said  Hetty,  "  wherever  those  weary  men  are 
going  to." 

"  And  to  every  one  of  us,"  said  Cheyne,  with  a  curious 
graveness  they  afterwards  remembered.  *'  That  is,  the 
stress  and  strain — it  is  the  triumph  at  the  end  of  it  only 
the  few  attain." 

Once  more  there  was  silence,  and  it  was  a  relief  when 
the  unemotional  Mrs.  Schuyler  rose. 

"  Now,"  she  said,  and  her  voice,  at  least,  had  in  it  the 
twang  of  the  country,  "  you  young  folks  have  been  solemn 
quite  long  enough.  Can't  you  talk  something  kind  of 
lively?" 

They  did  what  they  could,  and — for  Cheyne  could  on 
occasion  display  a  polished  wit — light  laughter  filled  the 
room,  until  Caroline  Schuyler,  perhaps  not  without  a 
motive,  suggested  a  stroll  on  the  lawn.    If  there  was  dewi 

19 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

upon  the  grass  none  of  them  heeded  it,  and  it  was  but 
seldom  anyone  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  pacing  that  sod 
when  Mr.  Schuyler  was  at  home.  Every  foot  had  cost 
him  many  dollars,  and  it  remained  but  an  imperfect  imita- 
tion of  an  English  lawn.  There  was  on  the  one  side  a 
fringe  of  maples,  and  it  was  perhaps  by  Mrs.  Schuyler's 
contrivance  that  eventually  Hetty  found  herself  alone  with 
Cheyne  in  their  deeper  shadow.  It  was  not,  however,  a 
surprise  to  her,  for  she  had  seen  the  man's  desire  and 
tacitly  fallen  in  with  it.  Miss  Torrance  had  discovered 
that  one  seldom  gains  anything  by  endeavouring  to  avoid 
the  inevitable. 

"  Hetty,"  he  said  quietly,  "  I  think  you  know  why  I 
have  come  to-night?  " 

The  girl  stood  very  still  and  silent  for  a  space  of  sec- 
onds, and  afterwards  wondered  whether  she  made  the 
decision  then,  or  what  she  had  seen  and  heard  since  she 
entered  the  depot  had  formed  it  for  her. 

"  Yes,"  she  said  slowly.     "  I  am  so  sorry !  " 

Cheyne  laid  his  hand  upon  her  arm,  and  his  voice 
trembled  a  little.  "  Don't  be  too  hasty,  Hetty,"  he  said. 
*'  I  would  not  ask  you  for  very  much  just  now,  but  I  had 
ventured  to  fancy  you  could  in  time  grow  fond  of  me. 
I  know  I  should  have  waited,  but  I  am  going  away  to- 
morrow, and  I  only  want  you  to  give  me  a  promise  to 
take  away  with  me." 

It  was  with  a  visible  effort  the  girl  lifted  her  head  and 
looked  at  him.  "  I  feel  horribly  mean,  Jake,  but  I  can't," 
she  said.  *'  I  ought  to  have  made  you  realize  that  long 
ago,  but  I  liked  you,  and,  you  see,  I  didn't  quite  know. 
I  thought  if  I  waited  a  little  I  might  be  more  sure  of  what 
I  felt  for  you!" 

"  Then,"  said  the  man,  a  trifle  hoarsely,  "  give  me  what 
you  can  now  and  I  will  be  patient." 

20 


HETTY  TAKES  HEED 

Hetty  turned  half  way  from  him  and  closed  one  hand. 
The  man  was  pleasant  to  look  upon,  in  character  and  dis- 
position all  she  could  desire,  and  she  had  found  a  curious 
content  in  his  company.  Had  that  day  passed  as  other 
days  had  done,  she  might  have  yielded  to  him,  but  she  had 
been  stirred  to  the  depths  of  her  nature  during  the  last  few 
hours,  and  Flora  Schuyler's  warning  had  been  opportune. 
She  had,  as  she  had  told  him,  a  liking  for  Jackson  Cheyne, 
but  that,  she  saw  very  clearly  now,  was  insufficient.  Des- 
tiny had  sent  Larry  Grant,  with  the  associations  that 
clung  about  him,  into  the  depot. 

"  No,"  she  said,  with  a  little  tremble  in  her  voice,  "  it 
wouldn't  be  honest  or  fair  to  you.  I  am  not  half  good 
enough  for  you." 

The  man  smiled  somewhat  mirthlessly,  but  his  voice 
w^as  reproachful.  "  You  always  speak  the  truth,  Hetty. 
My  dear,  knowing  what  the  best  of  us  are,  I  wonder  how  I 
dared  to  venture  to  ask  you  to  share  your  life  with  me." 

Hetty  checked  him  with  a  little  gesture.  "  Can't  you 
understand  ?  "  she  said.  "  The  girl  who  sang  to  you  now 
and  then  isn't  me.  I  am  selfish,  discontented,  and  shal- 
low, and  if  you  hadn't  heard  me  sing  or  play  you  would 
never  have  thought  of  me.  There  are  people  who  sing 
divinely,  and  are — you  see,  I  have  met  them  with  the  mask 
off — just  horrible." 

"  Hetty,"  said  Cheyne,  "  I  can't  allow  anyone  to  malign 
you,  even  if  It's  yourself,  and  if  you  have  any  faults,  my 
dear,  I'll  take  them  with  the  rest.  In  fact,  I  would  be 
glad  of  one  or  two.  They  would  only  bring  you  a  little 
nearer  to  me." 

The  girl  lifted  her  hand  and  silenced  him.  "  Jake," 
she  said  appealingly,  "  please  take  your  answer  and  go 
away.     If  I  could  only  be  fond  of  you  in  the  right  way 

21 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

I  would,  but  I  can't,  you  see.  It  is  not  my  fault — it  isn't 
in  me." 

The  man  recognized  the  finality  in  her  tone,  but,  feel- 
ing that  it  was  useless,  made  a  last  endeavour. 

"  I'm  going  away  to-morrow,''  he  said.  "  You  might 
think  differently  when  I  come  back  again." 

The  girl's  voice  quivered  a  little.  "  No,"  she  said.  "  I 
have  to  be  straightforward  now,  and  I  know  you  will  try 
to  make  it  easier  for  me,  even  if  I'm  hurting  you.  It's  no 
use.  I  shall  think  the  same,  and  by  and  by  you'll  get  over 
this  fancy,  and  wonder  what  you  ever  saw  in  me." 

The  man  smiled  curiously.  ''  I  am  afraid  it  will  take 
me  a  lifetime,"  he  said. 

In  another  moment  he  had  gone,  and  Hetty  turned,  a 
trifle  flushed  in  face,  towards  the  house  across  the  lawn. 

"  He  took  it  very  well — and  I  shall  never  find  anyone 
half  so  nice  again,"  she  said. 

It  was  half  an  hour  later,  and  Miss  Torrance  had  re- 
covered at  least  her  outward  serenity,  when  one  of  Mrs. 
Schuyler's  neighbours  arrived.  She  brought  one  or  two 
young  women,  and  a  man,  with  her.  The  latter  she  pre- 
sented to  Mrs.  Schuyler. 

"  Mr.  Reginald  Clavering,"  she  said.  "  He's  from  the 
prairie  where  Miss  Torrance's  father  lives,  and  is  stay- 
ing a  day  or  two  with  us.  When  I  heard  he  knew  Hetty 
I  ventured  to  bring  him  over." 

Mrs.  Schuyler  expressed  her  pleasure,  and — for  they 
had  gone  back  to  the  lighted  room  now — Hetty  presently 
found  herself  seated  face  to  face  with  the  stranger.  He 
was  a  tall,  well-favoured  man,  slender,  and  lithe  in  move- 
ment, with  dark  eyes  and  hair,  and  a  slightly  sallow  face 
that  suggested  that  he  was  from  the  South.  It  also 
seemed  fitting  that  he  was  immaculately  dressed,  for  there 
was  a  curious  gracefulness  about  him  that  still  had  in  it 

22 


HETTY  TAKES  HEED 

a  trace  of  insolence.     No  one  would  have  mistaken  him 
for  a  Northerner. 

"  It  was  only  an  hour  ago  I  found  we  were  so  near,  and 
I  insisted  upon  coming  across  at  once/'  he  said.  "  You 
have  changed  a  good  deal  since  you  left  the  prairie." 

*'  Yes,"  said  the  girl  drily.  "  Is  it  very  astonishing? 
You  see,  we  don't  spend  half  our  time  on  horseback  here. 
You  didn't  expect  to  find  me  a  sharp-tongued  Amazon 
still?" 

Clavering  laughed  as  he  looked  at  her,  but  the  approval 
of  what  he  saw  was  a  trifle  too  evident  in  his  black  eyes. 

"  Well,"  he  said  languidly,  "  you  were  our  Princess 
then,  and  there  was  only  one  of  your  subjects'  homage 
you  never  took  kindly  to.  That  was  rough  on  him,  be- 
cause he  was  at  least  as  devoted  as  the  rest." 

"  That,"  said  the  girl,  with  a  trace  of  acerbity,  "  was 
because  he  tried  to  patronize  me.  Even  if  I  haven't  the 
right  to  it,  I  like  respect." 

Clavering  made  a  little  gesture,  and  the  deference  in  it 
was  at  least  half  sincere.     "  You  command  it,  and  I  must  * 
try  to  make  amends.     Now,  don't  you  want  to  hear  about 
your  father  and  the  Range?  " 

"  No,"  said  Hetty.     "  I  had  a  talk  with  Larry  to-day." 

"In  New  York?" 

"  Yes.  At  the  depot.  He  is  going  back  to-morrow. 
You  seem  astonished  ?  " 

Clavering  appeared  thoughtful.  "Well,  it's  Chicago 
he  usually  goes  to." 

"Usually?"  said  Hetty.  "I  scarcely  remember  him 
leaving  Fremont  once  in  three  years." 

Clavering  laughed.  "  Then  he  leaves  it  a  good  deal 
more  often  now.  A  man  must  have  a  little  diversion 
when  he  lives  as  we  do,  and  no  doubt  Larry  feels  lonely. 
You  are  here,  and  Heloise  Durand  has  gone  away." 

23 


THE  GATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Hetty  understood  the  implication,  for  she  had  some 
notion  how  the  men  who  spent  months  together  in  the 
solitude  of  the  prairie  amused  themselves  in  the  cities. 
Nor  had  she  and  most  of  her  neighbours  wholly  approved 
of  the  liberal  views  held  by  Heloise  Durand.  She  had, 
however,  an  unquestioning  belief  in  Larry,  and  none  in 
the  man  beside  her. 

"  I  scarcely  think  you  need  have  been  jealous  of  him," 
she  said.  "  Larry  wasn't  Miss  Durand's  kind,  and  he 
couldn't  be  lonely.     Everybody  was  fond  of  him." 

Clavering  nodded.  "  Of  course !  Still,  Larry  hasn't 
quite  so  many  friends  lately." 

''Now,"  said  Hetty  with  a  little  flash  in  her  eyes, 
"  when  you've  told  me  that  you  have  got  to  tell  the  rest. 
What  has  he  been  doing?  " 

"  Ploughing !  "  said  Clavering  drily.  "  I  did  what  I 
could  to  restrain  him,  but  nobody  ever  could  argue  with 
Larry." 

Hetty  laughed,  though  she  felt  a  little  dismay.     It  was 

•  then  a  serious  affair  to  drive  the  wheat  furrow  in  a  cattle 

country,  and  the  man  who  did  it  was  apt  to  be  regarded 

as  an  iconoclast.     Nevertheless,  she  would  not  show  that 

she  recognized  it. 

"Well,"  she  said,  "that  isn't  very  dreadful.  The 
plough  is  supreme  in  the  Dakotas  and  Minnesota  now. 
Sooner  or  later  it  has  got  to  find  a  place  in  our  country.'* 

"  Still,  that's  not  going  to  happen  while  your  father 
lives." 

The  girl  realized  the  truth  of  this,  but  she  shook  her 
head.  "  We're  not  here  to  talk  wheat  and  cattle,  and  I 
see  Flo  Schuyler  looking  at  us,"  she  said.  "  Go  across 
and  make  yourself  agreeable  to  the  others  for  the  honour 
of  the  prairie." 

Clavering  went;  but  he  had  left  an  unpleasant  im- 

24 


HETTY  TAKES  HEED 

pression  behind  him,  as  he  had  perhaps  intended,  while 
soon  after  he  took  his  departure  Flora  Schuyler  found  her 
friend  alone. 

"  So  you  sent  Jake  away !  "  she  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  Hetty.  "  I  don't  know  what  made  me, 
but  I  felt  I  had  to.     I  almost  meant  to  take  him.'' 

Flora  Schuyler  nodded  gravely.  "  But  it  wasn't  be- 
cause of  that  man  Clavering?  " 

"  It  was  not,"  said  Hetty,  with  a  little  laugh.  "  Don't 
you  like  him  ?  He  is  rather  a  famous  man  back  there  on 
the  prairie." 

Flora  Schuyler  shook  her  head.  "  No,"  she  said ;  "  he 
reminded  me  of  that  Florentine  filigree  thing.  It's  very 
pretty,  and  I  bought  it  for  silver,  but  it  isn't." 

"  You  think  he's  that  kind  of  man?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Miss  Schuyler.  "  I  wouldn't  take  him  at 
face  value.  The  silver's  all  on  top.  I  don't  know  what 
is  underneath  it,  and  would  sooner  somebody  else  found 
out." 


0S 


Ill 

THE   CATTLE-BARONS 

It  was  a  still,  hot  evening  when  a  somewhat  silent 
company  of  bronze-faced  men  assembled  in  the  big  living 
room  of  Cedar  Range.  It  was  built  of  birch  trunks,  and 
had  once,  with  its  narrow  windows  and  loopholes  for  rifle 
fire,  resembled  a  fortalice;  but  now  cedar  panelling  cov- 
ered the  logs,  and  the  great  double  casements  were  filled 
with  the  finest  glass.  They  were  open  wide  that  evening. 
Around  this  room  had  grown  up  a  straggling  wooden 
building  of  dressed  lumber  with  pillars  and  scroll-work, 
and,  as  it  stood  then,  flanked  by  its  stores  and  stables, 
barns  and  cattle-boys'  barracks,  there  was  no  homestead 
on  a  hundred  leagues  of  prairie  that  might  compare 
with  it. 

Outside,  on  the  one  hand,  the  prairie  rolled  away  in 
long  billowy  rises,  a  vast  sea  of  silvery  grey,  for  the  grass 
that  had  been  green  a  month  or  two  was  turning  white 
again,  and  here  and  there  a  stockrider  showed  silhouetted, 
a  dusky  mounted  figure  against  the  paling  flicker  of  saf- 
fron that  still  lingered  upon  the  horizon.  On  the  other, 
a  birch  bluff  dipped  to  the  Cedar  River,  which  came  down 
faintly  chilled  with  the  Rockies'  snow  from  the  pine  for- 
ests of  the  foothills.  There  was  a  bridge  four  miles 
away,  but  the  river  could  be  forded  beneath  the  Range 
for  a  few  months  each  year.  At  other  seasons  it  swirled 
by,  frothing  in  green-stained  flood,  swollen  bj;  the  drain- 

26 


THE  CATTLE-BARONS 

age  of  snowfield  and  glacier,  and  there  was  no  stockrider 
at  the  Range  who  dared  swim  his  horse  across. 

Sun  and  wind  had  their  will  with  the  homestead,  for 
there  was  little  shelter  from  icy  blizzard  and  scorching 
heat  at  Cedar;  but  though  here  and  there  the  frame- 
boarding  gaped  and  the  roof -shingles  were  rent,  no  man 
accustomed  to  that  country  could  fail  to  notice  the  signs 
of  careful  management  and  prosperity.  Corrals,  barns, 
and  stables  were  the  best  of  their  kind ;  and,  though  the 
character  of  all  of  them  was  not  beyond  exception,  in 
physique  and  fitness  for  their  work  it  would  have  been 
hard  to  match  the  sinewy  men  in  blue  shirts,  wide  hats, 
and  long  boots,  then  watering  their  horses  at  the  ford. 
They  were  as  daring  and  irresponsible  swashbucklers  as 
ever  rode  out  on  medieval  foray,  and,  having  once  sold 
their  allegiance  to  Torrance  of  Cedar,  and  recognized 
that  he  was  not  to  be  trifled  with,  were  ready  to  do  with- 
out compunction  anything  he  bade  them. 

In  the  meanwhile  Torrance  sat  at  the  head  of  the  long 
table,  with  Clavering  of  Beauregard  at  his  right  hand. 
His  face  was  bronzed  and  resolute,  and  the  stamp  of  com- 
mand sat  plainly  upon  him.  There  was  grey  in  his  dark 
hair,  and  his  eyes  were  keen  and  black,  with  a  little  glint 
in  them ;  but,  vigorous  as  he  still  seemed,  the  hand  on  the 
table  was  smooth  and  but  slightly  tinted  by  the  sun,  for 
Torrance  was  one  who,  in  the  language  of  that  country,  ^ 
did  his  work,  which  was  usually  arduous,  with  his  gloves 
on.  He  was  dressed  in  white  shirt  and  broadcloth,  and  a 
diamond  of  price  gleamed  in  the  front  of  the  former. 

His  guests  were  for  the  most  part  younger,  and  Claver- 
ing was  scarcely  half  his  age :  but  when  they  met  in  con- 
clave something  usually  happened,  for  the  seat  of  the  leg- 
islature was  far  away,  and  their  will  considerably  more 
potent  thereabouts  than  the  law  of  the  land.     Sheriff, 

27 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

postmaster,  railroad  agent,  and  petty  politician  carried  out 
their  wishes,  and  as  yet  no  man  had  succeeded  in  living  in 
that  region  unless  he  did  homage  to  the  cattle-barons. 
They  were  Republicans,  admitting  in  the  abstract  the 
rights  of  man,  so  long  as  no  venturesome  citizen  de- 
manded too  much  of  them ;  but  they  had  discovered  that 
in  practice  liberty  is  usually  the  prerogative  of  the  strong. 
Still,  they  had  done  their  nation  good  service,  for  they 
had  found  the  land  a  wilderness  and  covered  it  with  cattle, 
so  that  its  commerce  fed  the  railroads  and  supported  busy 
wooden  towns.  Some  of  the  older  men  had  disputed  pos- 
session with  the  Indian,  and  most  of  them  in  the  early 
days,  enduring  thirst  and  loneliness  and  unwearying  toil, 
had  held  on  stubbornly  in  the  face  of  ruin  by  frost  and 
drought  and  hail.  It  was  not  astonishing  that  as  they 
had  made  that  land — so  they  phrased  it — they  regarded  it 
as  theirs. 

There  were  eight  of  them  present,  and  for  a  time  they 
talked  of  horses  and  cattle  as  they  sipped  their  wine, 
which  was  the  choicest  that  France  could  send  them ;  and 
it  is  also  probable  that  no  better  cigars  ever  came  from 
Cuba  than  those  they  smoked.  By  and  by,  however, 
Torrance  laid  his  aside. 

"  It's  time  we  got  down  to  work,"  he  said.  "  I  sent  for 
ten  of  you,  and  eight  have  come.  One  sent  valid  excuses, 
and  one  made  no  answer.'' 

"  Larry  Grant,"  said  Clavering.  "  I  guess  he  was  too 
busy  at  the  depot  bringing  a  fat  Dutchman  and  a  crowd 
of  hard-faced  Dakota  ploughboys  in." 

There  was  a  little  murmur  of  astonishment  which,  had 
the  men  been  different,  would  not  have  been  quite  free 
from  consternation,  for  it  was  significant  news. 

"You're  quite  sure?"  asked  Torrance,  and  his  face 
was  stern. 

28 


THE  CATTLE-BARONS 

"  Well,"  said  Clavering  languidly,  "  I  saw  him,  and 
bantered  him  a  little  on  his  prepossessing  friends.  Asked 
him  why,  when  he  was  at  it,  he  didn't  go  to  Manitoba  for 
Canadians.     Larry  didn't  take  it  nicely." 

"  I'm  sorry,"  said  one  of  the  older  men.  "  Larry  is 
one  of  us,  and  the  last  man  I'd  figure  on  committing  that 
kind  of  meanness  would  be  the  son  of  Fremont  Grant. 
Quite  sure  it's  not  a  fit  of  temper?  You  have  not  been 
worrying  him,  Torrance  ?  " 

Torrance  closed  one  hand.  "  Grant  of  Fremont  was 
my  best  friend,  and  when  he  died  I  'most  brought  the  lad 
up  as  a  son.  When  he  got  hold  of  his  foolish  notions  it 
hurt  me  considerably,  and  I  did  what  I  could  to  talk  him 
out  of  them." 

There  was  a  little  smile  in  the  faces  of  some  of  the  men, 
for  Torrance's  draconic  fashion  of  arguing  was  known 
to  them. 

"  You  put  it  a  little  too  straight,  and  he  told  you  some- 
thing that  riled  you,"  said  one. 

"  He  did,"  said  Torrance  grimly.  "  Still,  for  'most 
two  years  I  kept  a  curb  on  my  temper.  Then  one  evening 
I  told  him  he  had  to  choose  right  then  between  his  fancies 
and  me.  I  could  have  no  dealings  with  any  man  who 
talked  as  he  did." 

"  Do  you  remember  any  of  it?  "  asked  another  man. 

"  Yes,"  said  Torrance.  **  His  father's  friends  were 
standing  in  the  way  of  progress.  Land  that  would  feed 
a  thousand  families  was  keeping  us  in  luxury  no  American 
was  entitled  to.  This  was  going  to  be  the  poor  man's 
country,  and  the  plough  was  bound  to  come !  " 

Clavering  laughed  softly,  and  there  were  traces  of  iron- 
ical amusement  in  the  faces  of  the  rest.  Very  similar  pre- 
dictions had  more  than  once  been  flung  at  them,  and 
their  possessions  were  still,  they  fancied,  secure  to  them* 

29 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

They,  however,  became  grave  again,  and  it  v^ras  evident 
that  Larry  Grant  had  hitherto  been  esteemed  by  them. 

"  If  it  had  been  any  one  else,  we  could  have  put  our 
thumb  on  him  right  now,''  said  one.  "  Still,  I  don't  quite 
figure  it  would  work  with  Larry.  There  are  too  many 
folks  who  would  stand  in  with  him." 

There  was  a  little  murmur  of  approbation,  and  Claver- 
ing  laughed.  "  Buy  him  off,"  he  said  tentatively.  *'  We 
have  laid  out  a  few  thousand  dollars  in  that  way  before." 

Some  of  the  men  made  gestures  of  decided  negation, 
and  Torrance  looked  at  the  speaker  a  trifle  sternly. 

"  No,  sir,"  he  said.  "  Larry  may  be  foolish,  but  he's 
one  of  us." 

"  Then,"  said  somebody,  "  we've  got  to  give  him  time. 
Let  it  pass.     You  have  something  to  tell  us,  Torrance?  " 

Torrance  signed  to  one  of  them.  "  You  had  better  tell 
them,  Allonby." 

A  grey-haired  man  stood  up,  and  his  fingers  shook  a 
little  on  the  table.  "  My  lease  has  fallen  in,  and  the 
Bureau  will  not  renew  it,"  he  said.  "  I'm  not  going  to 
moan  about  my  wrongs,  but  some  of  you  know  what  it 
cost  me  to  break  in  that  place  of  mine.  You  have  lived 
on  the  bitter  water  and  the  saleratus  bread,  but  none  of 
you  has  seen  his  wife  die  for  the  want  of  the  few  things 
he  couldn't  give  her,  as  I  did.  I  gave  the  nation  my  two 
boys  when  the  good  times  came,  and  they're  dead — ^buried 
in  their  uniform  both  of  them — and  now,  when  I'd  laid 
out  my  last  dollar  on  the  ranch,  that  the  one  girl  I've  left 
me  might  have  something  when  I'd  gone,  the  Govern- 
ment will  take  it  away  from  me.  Gentlemen,  is  it  my 
duty  to  sit  down  quietly  ?  " 

There  was  a  murmur,  and  the  men  looked  at  one 
another  with  an  ominous  question  in  their  eyes,  until  Tor- 
rance raised  his  hand.  ♦ 

30 


THE  GATTLE-BARONS 

"The  land's  not  open  to  location.  I  guess  they're 
afraid  of  us,  and  AUonby's  there  on  toleration  yet/'  he 
said.  "Gentlemen,  we  mean  to  keep  him  just  where  he 
is,  because  when  he  pulls  out  we  will  have  to  go  too.  But 
this  thing  has  to  be  done  quietly.  When  the  official 
machinery  moves  down  here  it's  because  we  pull  the 
strings,  and  we  have  got  to  have  the  law  upon  our  side  as 
far  as  we  can.  Well,  that's  going  to  cost  us  money,  and 
we  want  a  campaign  fund.  I'll  give  Allonby  a  cheque 
for  five  hundred  dollars  in  the  meanwhile,  if  he'll  be  treas- 
urer ;  but  as  we  may  all  be  fixed  as  he  is  presently,  we'll 
want  a  good  deal  more  before  we're  through.  Who  will 
follow  me?  " 

Each  of  them  promised  five  hundred,  and  then  looked  at 
Clavering,  who  had  not  spoken.  One  of  them  also  fan- 
cied that  there  was  for  a  moment  a  trace  of  embarrass- 
ment in  his  face ;  but  he  smiled  carelessly. 

"  The  fact  is,  dollars  are  rather  tight  with  me  just 
now,"  he  said.  "  You'll  have  to  wait  a  little  if  I'm  to  do 
as  much  as  the  rest  of  you.  I  am,  however,  quite  will- 
ing." 

"  I'll  lend  you  them,"  said  Torrance.  "  Allonby,  I'll 
make  that  cheque  a  thousand.     You  have  got  it  down  ?" 

Allonby  accepted  office,  and  one  of  the  other  men  rose 
up.  "  Now  it  seems  to  me  that  Torrance  is  right,  and 
with  our  leases  expired  or  running  out,  we're  all  in  the 
same  tight  place,"  he  said.  "  The  first  move  is  to  get 
every  man  holding  cattle  land  from  here  to  the  barren 
country  to  stand  in,  and  then,  one  way  or  another,  ^ye'll 
freeze  out  the  homesteaders.  Well,  then,  we'll  constitute 
ourselves  a  committee,  with  Torrance  as  head  executive, 
and  as  we  want  to  know  just  what  the  others  are  doing, 
my  notion  is  that  he  should  start  off  to-morrow  and  ride 

31 


THE  GATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

round  the  country.  If  there  are  any  organizations  ready, 
it  might  suit  us  to  affiliate  with  them." 

It  was  agreed  to,  and  Clavering  said,  "  It  seems  to  me, 
sir,  that  the  first  question  is,  *  Could  we  depend  upon  the 
boys  if  we  wanted  them? '  " 

Torrance  strode  to  an  open  window  and  blew  a  silver 
whistle.  Its  shrill  note  had  scarcely  died  away  when  a 
i  mounted  man  came  up  at  a  gallop,  and  a  band  of  others 
in  haste  on  foot.  They  stopped  in  front  of  the  window, 
picturesque  in  blue  shirts  and  long  boots,  sinewy,  gen- 
erously fed,  and  irresponsibly  daring. 

"  Boys,"  he  said,  "  youVe  been  told  there's  a  change 
coming,  and  by  and  by  this  country  will  have  no  more 
use  for  you.  Now,  if  any  folks  came  here  and  pulled  our 
boundaries  up  to  let  the  mean  whites  from  back  east  in, 
what  are  you  going  to  do  ?  " 

There  was  a  burst  of  hoarse  laughter.  "  Ride  them 
down,"  said  one  retainer,  with  the  soft  blue  eyes  of  a  girl 
and  a  figure  of  almost  matchless  symmetry. 

"  Grow  feathers  on  them,"  said  another.  "  Ride  them 
back  to  the  railroad  on  a  rail." 

"  I  scarcely  think  that  would  be  necessary,"  said  Tor- 
rance quietly.  "  Still,  you'd  stand  behind  the  men  who 
pay  you  ?  " 

There  was  a  murmur  that  expressed  a  good  deal,  though 
it  was  inarticulate,  and  a  man  stood  forward. 

"  YouVe  heard  them,  sir,"  he  said.  "  Well,  we'll  do 
just  what  you  want  us  to.  This  is  the  cattle-baron's 
country,  and  we're  here.  It's  good  enough  for  us,  and  if 
it  means  lots  of  trouble  we're  going  to  stay  here." 

Torrance  raised  his  hand,  and  when  the  men  moved 
away  turned  with  a  little  grim  smile  to  his  guests. 
"  They'll  be  quite  as  good  as  their  word,"  he  said. 

Then  he  led  them  back  to  the  table,  and  when  the 

32 


THE  CATTLE-BARONS 

decanter  had  gone  round,  one  of  the  younger  men  stood 
up. 

'*  We  want  a  constitution,  gentlemen,  and  Fll  give  you 
one,"  he  said.  **  The  Cedar  District  Stockraisers'  Com- 
mittee incorporated  to-day  with  for  sole  object  the  defence 
of  our  rights  as  American  citizens ! '' 

Clavering  rose  with  the  others,  but  there  was  a  little 
]  ironical  smile  in  his  eyes  as  he  said,  "  If  necessary  against 
any  unlawful  encroachments  made  by  the  legislature !  " 

Torrance  turned  upon  him  sternly.  "  No,  sir ! "  he 
said.     "  By  whatever  means  may  appear  expedient !  '* 

The  glasses  were  lifted  high,  and  when  they  had  laid 
them  down  the  men  rode  away,  though  only  one  or  two 
of  them  realized  the  momentous  issues  which  they  and 
others  had  raised  at  about  much  the  same  time.  They 
had  not,  however,  met  in  conclave  too  soon,  for  any  step 
that  man  makes  forward  towards  a  wider  life  is  usually 
marked  by  strife,  and  the  shadow  of  coming  trouble  was 
already  upon  the  land.  It  had  deepened  little  by  little, 
and  the  cattle-barons  had  closed  their  eyes,  as  other  men 
who  have  held  the  reins  have  done  since  the  beginning, 
until  the  lean  hands  of  the  toilers  fastened  upon  them,  and 
fresh  horrors  added  to  an  ancient  wrong  were  the  price 
of  liberty  that  was  lost  again.  They  had  done  good  ser- 
vice to  their  nation,  with  profit  to  themselves,  and  would 
not  see  that  the  times  were  changing  and  that  the  nation 
had  no  longer  need  of  them. 

Other  men,  however,  at  least  suspected  it,  and  there  was 
an  expectant  gathering  one  hot  afternoon  in  the  railroad 
depot  of  a  little  wooden  town  where  Grant  stood  waiting 
for  the  west-bound  train.  There  was  little  to  please  the 
eye  about  the  station,  and  still  less  about  the  town. 
Straight  out  of  the  great  white  levels  ran  the  glistening 
track,  and  an  unsightly  building  of  wood  and  iron  rose 

33 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

from  the  side  of  it,  flanked  by  a  towering  water-tank. 
A  pump  rattled  under  it,  and  the  smell  of  creosote  was 
everywhere.  Cattle  corrals  ran  back  from  the  track,  and 
beyond  them  sun-rent  frame  houses  roofed  with  cedar 
shingles  straggled  away  on  the  one  hand,  paintless,  crude, 
and  square.  On  the  other,  a  smear  of  trail  led  the  dazzled 
vision  back  across  the  parched  levels  to  the  glancing  re- 
fraction on  the  horizon,  and  the  figure  of  a  single  horse- 
man showing  dimly  through  a  dust  cloud  emphasized 
their  loneliness.  The  town  was  hot  and  dusty,  its  one 
green  fringe  of  willows  defiled  by  the  garbage  the  citizens 
deposited  there,  and  the  most  lenient  stranger  could  have 
seen  no  grace  or  beauty  in  it.  Yet,  like  many  another 
place  of  the  kind,  it  was  destined  to  rise  to  prosperity  and 
fame. 

The  depot  was  thronged  that  afternoon.  Store  and 
hotel  keeper,  citizens  in  white  shirts  and  broadcloth, 
jostled  blue-shirted  cattle  men,  while  here  and  there  a  petty 
politician  consulted  with  the  representative  of  a  Western 
paper.  The  smoke  of  cigars  drifted  everywhere,  and  the 
listless  heat  was  stirred  by  the  hum  of  voices  eager  and 
strident.  It  was  evident  that  the  assembly  was  in  an  ex- 
pectant mood,  and  there  was  a  murmur  of  approbation 
when  one  newspaper  man  laid  hold  of  Grant. 

"  I  couldn't  light  on  you  earlier,  but  ten  minutes  will 
see  us  through,"  he  said.  "  We'll  make  a  half-page  of  it 
if  you'll  let  me  have  your  views.  New  epoch  in  the  coun- 
try's history!  The  small  farmer  the  coming  king!  A 
wood-cut  of  the  man  who  brought  the  first  plough  in." 

Larry  Grant  laughed  a  little.  "  There  are  quite  a  few 
ahead  of  me,  and  if  you  spread  my  views  the  barons  would 
put  their  thumb  on  you  and  squeeze  you  flat,"  he  said. 
*^  On  the  other  hand,  it  wouldn't  suit  me  if  you  sent  them 
anything  I  told  you  to  publish." 

34 


THE  CATTLE-BARONS 

The  man  appeared  a  trifle  embarrassed.  "  The  rights 
of  the  Press  are  sacred  in  a  free  country,  sir,"  he  said. 

"  Well,"  said  Grant  drily,  ''  although  I  hope  it  will  be, 
this  country  isn't  quite  free  yet.  I  surmise  that  you  don't 
know  that  the  office  of  your  contemporary  farther  east 
was  broken  into  a  few  hours  ago,  and  an  article  written 
by  a  friend  of  mine  pulled  out  of  the  press.  The  proprie- 
tor was  quietly  held  down  upon  the  floor  when  he  ob- 
jected. You  will  hear  whether  I  am  right  or  wrong 
to-morrow." 

What  the  man  would  have  answered  did  not  appear, 
for  just  then  somebody  shouted,  and  a  trail  of  smoke 
swept  up  above  the  rim  of  the  prairie.  It  rose  higher  and 
whiter,  something  that  flashed  dazzlingly  grew  into  shape 
beneath  it,  and  there  was  a  curious  silence  when  the  dusty 
cars  rolled  into  the  little  station.  It  was  followed  by  a 
murmur  as  an  elderly  man  in  broad  white  hat  and  plain 
store  clothing,  and  a  plump,  blue-eyed  young  woman, 
came  out  upon  the  platform  of  a  car.  He  wore  a  pair  of 
spectacles  and  gazed  about  him  in  placid  inquiry,  until 
Grant  stepped  forward.  Then  he  helped  the  young 
woman  down,  and  held  out  a  big,  hard  hand. 

"Mr.  Grant?  "he  said. 

Grant  nodded,  and  raised  his  hat  to  the  girl.  "  Yes," 
he  said.     "Mr.  MuUer?" 

"Ja,"  said  the  other  man.  "Also  der  fraulein 
Mullen" 

There  was  a  little  ironical  laughter  from  the  crowd. 
"  A  Dutchman,"  said  somebody,  "  from  Chicago.  They 
raise  them  there  in  the  sausage  machine.  The  hogs  go 
in  at  one  end,  and  they  rake  the  Dutchmen  out  of  the 
other." 

Muller  looked  round  inquiringly,  but  apparently  failed 
tQ  discover  the  speaker. 

35 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  Dot,"  he  said,  "  is  der  chestnut.  I  him  have  heard 
before." 

There  was  good-humoured  laughter — for  even  when  it 
has  an  animus  an  American  crowd  is  usually  fair ;  and  in 
the  meanwhile  five  or  six  other  men  got  down  from  a  car. 
They  were  lean  and  brown,  with  somewhat  grim  faces, 
and  were  dressed  in  blue  shirts  and  jean. 

"  Well,"  said  one  of  them,  "  we're  Americans.  Got 
any  objections  to  us  getting  off  here,  boys?  " 

Some  of  the  men  in  store  clothing  nodded  a  greeting, 
but  there  were  others  in  wide  hats,  and  long  boots  with 
spurs,  who  jeered. 

"  Brought  your  plough-cows  along?  "  said  one,  and  the 
taunt  had  its  meaning,  for  it  is  usually  only  the  indigent 
and  incapable  who  plough  with  oxen. 

"  No,"  said  one  of  the  newcomers.  "  We  have  horses 
back  yonder.  When  we  want  mules  or  cowsteerers,  I 
guess  we'll  find  them  here.  You  seem  to  have  quite  a 
few  of  them  around." 

A  man  stepped  forward,  jingling  his  spurs,  with  his 
jacket  of  embroidered  deerskin  flung  open  to  show,  though 
this  was  as  yet  unusual,  that  he  wore  a  bandolier.  Rolling 
back  one  loose  sleeve  he  displayed  a  brown  arm  with  the 
letters  "  C.  R."  tattooed  within  a  garter  upon  it.  "  See 
this.     You've  heard  of  that  mark  before?  "  he  said. 

"  Cash  required ! "  said  the  newcomer,  with  a  grin. 
"  Well,  I  guess  that's  not  astonishing.  It  would  be  a 
blame  foolish  man  who  gave  you  credit." 

"  No,  sir,"  said  the  stockrider.  "  It's  Cedar  Range, 
and  there's  twenty  boys  and  more  cattle  than  you  could 
count  in  a  long  day  carrying  that  brand.  It  will  be  a 
cold  day  when  you  and  the  rest  of  the  Dakotas  start  kick- 
ing against  that  outfit." 

There  was  laughter  and  acclamation,  in  the  midst  of 

36 


THE  CATTLE-BARONS 

which  the  cars  rolled  on ;  but  in  the  meanwhile  Grant  had 
seized  the  opportunity  to  get  a  gang-plough  previously 
unloaded  from  a  freight-car  into  a  wagon.  The  sight  of 
it  raised  a  demonstration,  and  there  were  hoots,  and  cries 
of  approbation,  while  a  man  with  a  flushed  face  was 
hoisted  to  the  top  of  a  kerosene-barrel. 

"  Boys,"  he  said,  "  there's  no  use  howling.  We're 
Americans.  Nobody  can  stop  us,  and  we're  going  on. 
You  might  as  well  kick  against  a  railroad;  and  because 
the  plough  and  the  small  farmer  will  do  more  for  you 
than  even  the  locomotive  did,  they  have  got  to  come. 
Well,  now,  some  of  you  are  keeping  stores,  and  one  or 
two  I  see  here  baking  bread  and  making  clothes.  Which 
is  going  to  do  the  most  for  your  trade  and  you,  a  handful 
of  rich  men,  who  wouldn't  eat  or  wear  the  things  you 
have  to  sell,  owning  the  whole  country,  or  a  family  farm- 
ing on  every  quarter  section  ?  A  town  ten  times  this  size 
wouldn't  be  much  use  to  them.  Well,  you've  had  your 
cattle-barons,  gentlemen  most  of  them;  but  even  a  man 
of  that  kind  has  to  step  out  of  the  track  and  make  room 
when  the  nation's  moving  on." 

He  probably  said  more,  but  Grant  did  not  hear  him,  for 
he  had  as  unostentatiously  as  possible  conveyed  Muller 
and  the  f raulein  into  a  wagon,  and  had  horses  led  up  for 
the  Dakota  men.  They  had  some  difficulty  in  mounting, 
and  the  crowd  laughed  good-humouredly,  though  here 
and  there  a  man  flung  jibes  at  them;  while  one,  jolting  in 
his  saddle  as  his  broncho  reared,  turned  to  Grant  with  a 
little  deprecatory  gesture. 

"  In  our  country  we  mostly  drive  in  wagons,  but  I'll 
ride  by  the  stirrup  and  get  down  when  nobody  sees  me,'* 
he  said.  "  The  beast  wouldn't  try  to  climb  out  this  way  ifi 
there  wasn't  something  kind  of  prickly  under  his  saddle.'*' 

Grant's  face  was  a  trifle  grim  when  he  saw  that  more  ol 

37 


THE  GATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

the  horses  were  indined  to  behave  similarly,  but  he  flicked 
his  team  with  the  whip,  and  there  was  cheering  and 
derision  when,  with  a  drumming  of  hoofs  and  rattle  of 
wheels,  wagons  and  horsemen  swept  away  into  the  dust- 
cloud  that  rolled  about  the  trail. 

"  This,"  he  said,  "  is  only  a  little  joke  of  theirs,  and 
they'll  go  a  good  deal  further  when  they  get  their  blood 
up.     Still,  I  tried  to  warn  you  what  you  might  expect." 

"  So !  "  said  Muller,  with  a  placid  grin.  "  It  is  noding 
to  der  franc  tireurs.  I  was  in  der  chase  of  Menotti 
among  der  Vosges.     Also  at  Paris." 

"  Well,"  said  Grant  drily,  "  I'm  'most  afraid  that  by  and 
by  you'll  go  through  very  much  the  same  kind  of  thing 
again.  What  you  saw  at  the  depot  is  going  on  wherever 
the  railroad  is  bringing  the  farmers  in^  and  we've  got  men 
in  this  country  who'd  make  first-grade  franc  tireurs." 


38 


iv; 

MULLER  STANDS  FAST 

The  windows  of  Fremont  homestead  were  open  wide, 
and  Larry  Grant  sat  by  one  of  them  in  a  state  of  quiet 
contentment  after  a  long  day's  ride.  Outside,  the  prairie, 
fading  from  grey  to  purple,  ran  back  to  the  dusky  east, 
and  the  little  cool  breeze  that  came  up  out  of  the  silence 
and  flowed  into  the  room  had  in  it  the  qualities  of  snow- 
chilled  wine.  A  star  hung  low  to  the  westward  in  a  field 
of  palest  green,  and  a  shaded  lamp  burned  dimly  at  one 
end  of  the  great  bare  room. 

By  it  the  Fraulein  Muller,  flaxen-haired,  plump,  and 
blue-eyed,  sat  knitting,  and  Larry's  eyes  grew  a  trifle  wist- 
ful when  he  glanced  at  her.  It  was  a  very  long  while 
since  any  woman  had  crossed  his  threshold,  and  the  red- 
cheeked  fraulein  gave  the  comfortless  bachelor  dwelling 
a  curiously  homelike  appearance.  Nevertheless,  it  was  not 
the  recollection  of  its  usual  dreariness  that  called  up  the 
sigh,  for  Larry  Grant  had  had  his  dreams  like  other  men, 
and  Miss  Muller  was  not  the  woman  he  had  now  and  then 
daringly  pictured  sitting  there.  Her  father,  perhaps  from 
force  of  habit,  sat  with  a  big  meerschaum  in  hand,  by  the 
empty  stove,  and  if  his  face  expressed  anything  at  all  it 
was  phlegmatic  content.  Opposite  him  sat  Brecken- 
ridge,  a  young  Englishman,  lately  arrived  from  Min- 
nesota. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  the  land,  now  youVe  seen  it  ?  '^ 
asked  Grant. 

39 


THE  GATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Muller  nodded  reflectively.  "  Der  land  is  good.  It  is 
der  first-grade  hard  wheat  she  will  grow.  I  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  buy." 

"  Well,"  said  Grant,  "  Fm  willing  to  let  you  have  it ; 
but  I  usually  try  to  do  the  square  thing,  and  you  may  have 
trouble  before  you  get  your  first  crop  in." 

"  Und,"  said  Muller,  "  so  you  want  to  sell?  " 

Grant  laughed.  "  Not  quite;  and  I  can't  sell  that  land 
outright.  I'll  let  it  to  you  while  my  lease  runs,  and  when 
that  falls  in  you'll  have  the  same  right  to  homestead  a 
quarter  or  half  section  for  nothing  as  any  other  man.  In 
the  meanwhile,  I  and  one  or  two  others  are  going  to  start 
wheat-growing  on  land  that  is  ours  outright,  and  take  our 
share  of  the  trouble." 

"  Ja,"  said  Muller,  "  but  dere  is  much  dot  is  not  clear 
to  me.     Why  you  der  trouble  like?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Grant,  "  as  I've  tried  to  tell  you,  it  works 
out  very  much  like  this.  It  was  known  that  this  land  was 
specially  adapted  to  mixed  farming  quite  a  few  years  ago, 
but  the  men  who  ran  their  cattle  over  it  never  drove  a 
plough.  You  want  to  know  why  ?  Well,  I  guess  it  was 
for  much  the  same  reason  that  an  association  of  our  big 
manufacturers  bought  up  the  patents  of  an  improved  pro- 
cess, and  for  a  long  while  never  made  an  ounce  of  material 
under  them,  or  let  any  one  else  try.  We  had  to  pay  more 
than  it  was  worth  for  an  inferior  article  that  hampered 
some  of  the  most  important  industries  in  the  country,  and 
they  piled  up  the  dollars  in  the  old-time  way." 

"  Und,"  said  Muller,  "  dot  is  democratic  America !  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Grant.  "  That  is  the  America  we  mean  ta 
alter.  Well,  where  one  man  feeds  his  cattle,  fifty  could 
plough  and  make  a  living  raising  stock  on  a  smaller  scale, 
and  the  time's  quite  close  upon  us  when  they  will ;  but  th« 
cattle-men  have  got  the  country,  and  it  will  hurt  them  tcj 

40 


MULLER  STANDS  FAST 

let  go.  It's  not  their  land,  and  was  only  lent  them.  Now 
I'm  no  fonder  of  trouble  than  any  other  man,  but  this 
country  fed  and  taught  me,  and  kept  me  two  years  in 
Europe  looking  round,  and  Fd  feel  mean  if  I  took  every- 
thing and  gave  it  nothing  back.  MuUer  will  understand 
me.    Do  you,  Breckenridge  ?  " 

The  English  lad  laughed.  "Oh,  yes;  though  I  don't 
know  that  any  similar  obligation  was  laid  on  myself. 
The  country  I  came  from  had  apparently  no  use  for  a 
younger  son  at  all,  and  it  was  kicks  and  snubs  it  usually 
bestowed  on  me;  but  if  there's  a  row  on  hand  I'm  quite 
willing  to  stand  by  you  and  see  it  through.  My  folks 
will,  however,  be  mildly  astonished  when  they  hear  I've 
turned  reformer." 

Grant  nodded  good-humouredly,  for  he  was  not  a 
fanatic,  but  an  American  with  a  firm  belief  in  the  great- 
ness of  his  country's  destiny,  who,  however,  realized  that 
faith  alone  was  scarcely  sufficient. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  if  it's  trouble  you're  anxious  for,  it's 
quite  likely  you'll  find  it  here.  Nobody  ever  got  anything 
worth  having  unless  he  fought  for  it,  and  we've  taken 
on  a  tolerably  big  contract.  We're  going  to  open  up  this 
state  for  any  man  who  will  work  for  it  to  make  a  living  in, 
and  substitute  its  constitution  for  the  law  of  the  cattle- 
barons." 

"  Der  progress,"  said  Muller,  "  she  is  irresistible." 

Breckenridge  laughed.  "From  what  I  was  taught,  it 
seems  to  me  that  she  moves  round  in  rings.  You  start 
with  the  luxury  of  the  few,  oppression,  and  brutality,  then 
comes  revolution,  and  worse  things  than  you  had  before, 
progress  growing  out  of  it  that  lasts  for  a  few  generations 
until  the  few  fittest  get  more  than  their  fair  share  of 
wealth  and  control,  and  you  come  back  to  the  same  point 
again," 

41 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Muller  shook  his  head.  "  No/'  he  said,  "  it  is  nod  der 
ring,  but  der  elastic  spiral.  Der  progress  she  march,  it 
is  true,  round  und  round,  but  she  is  arrive  always  der  one 
turn  higher,  und  der  pressure  on  der  volute  is  nod  con- 
stant." 

**  On  the  top  ?  "  said  Breckenridge.  "  Principalities 
and  powers,  traditional  and  aristocratic,  or  monetary. 
Well,  it  seems  to  me  they  squeeze  progress  down  tolerably 
flat  between  them  occasionally.  Take  our  old  cathedral 
cities  and  some  of  your  German  ones,  and,  if  you  demand 
it,  I'll  throw  their  ghettos  in.  Then  put  the  New  York 
tenements  or  most  of  the  smaller  western  towns  beside 
them,  and  see  what  you've  arrived  at." 

"  No,"  said  Muller  tranquilly.  "  Weight  above  she  is 
necessary  while  der  civilization  is  incomblete,  but  der 
force  is  from  der  bottom.  It  is  all  time  positive  and  prim- 
itive, for  it  was  make  when  man  was  make  at  der  begin- 
ning." 

Grant  nodded.  "  Well,"  he  said,  "  our  work's  waiting 
right  here.  What  other  men  have  done  in  the  Dakotas 
and  Minnesota  we  are  going  to  do.  Nature  has  been 
storing  us  food  for  the  wheat  plant  for  thousands  of  years, 
and  there's  more  gold  in  our  black  soil  than  was  ever  dug 
out  of  Mexico  or  California.  Still,  you  have  to  get  it 
out  by  ploughing,  and  not  by  making  theories.  Brecken- 
ridge, you  will  stay  with  me;  but  you'll  want  a  house  to 
live  in,  Muller." 

Muller  drew  a  roll  of  papers  out  of  his  pocket,  and 
Grant,  who  took  them  from  him,  stared  in  wonder.  They 
were  drawings  and  calculations  relating  to  building  with 
undressed  lumber,  made  with  Teutonic  precision  and 
accuracy. 

"  I  have,"  said  Muller,  "  der  observation  make  how  you 
build  der  homestead  in  this  country." 

42 


MULLER  STANDS  FAST 

"  Then  we'll  start  you  in  to-morrow,"  said  Grant. 
*^  You'll  get  all  the  lumber  you  want  in  the  birch  bluff,  and 
I'll  lend  you  one  or  two  of  the  boys  I  brought  in  from 
Michigan.  There's  nobody  on  this  continent  handier 
with  the  axe." 

Muller  nodded  and  refilled  his  pipe,  and  save  for  the 
click  of  the  f  raulein's  needles  there  was  once  more  silence 
in  the  bare  room.  She  had  not  spoken,  for  the  knitting 
and  the  baking  were  her  share,  and  the  men  whose  part 
was  the  conflict  must  be  clothed  and  fed.  They  knew  it 
could  not  be  evaded,  and,  springing  from  the  same  colo- 
nizing stock,  placid  Teuton  with  his  visions  and  precision 
in  everyday  details,  eager  American,  and  adventurous 
Englishman,  each  made  ready  for  it  in  his  own  fashion. 
Free  as  yet  from  passion,  or  desire  for  fame,  they  were 
willing  to  take  up  the  burden  that  was  to  be  laid  upon 
them;  but  only  the  one  who  knew  the  least  awaited  it 
joyously.  Others  had  also  the  same  thoughts  up  and 
down  that  lonely  land,  and  the  dusty  cars  were  already 
bringing  the  vanguard  of  the  homeless  host  in.  They 
were  for  the  most  part  quiet  and  resolute  men,  who  asked 
no  more  than  leave  to  till  a  few  acres  of  the  wilderness, 
and  to  eat  what  they  had  sown;  but  there  were  among 
them  others  of  a  different  kind — fanatics,  outcasts,  men 
with  wrongs — and  behind  them  the  human  vultures  who 
fatten  on  rapine.  As  yet,  the  latter  found  no  occupation 
waiting  them,  but  their  sight  was  keen,  and  they  knew 
their  time  would  come. 

It  was  a  week  later,  and  a  hot  afternoon,  when  Muller 
laid  the  big  crosscut  saw  down  on  the  log  he  was  severing 
and  slowly  straightened  his  back.  Then  he  stood  up,  red 
and  very  damp  in  face,  a  burly,  square-shouldered  man, 
and,  having  mislaid  his  spectacles,  blinked  about  him.  On 
three  sides  of  him  the  prairie,  swelling  in  billowy  rises,  ran 

43 


h 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

back  to  the  horizon;  but  on  the  fourth  a  dusky  wall  of 
foliage  followed  the  crest  of  a  ravine,  and  the  murmur 
of  water  came  up  faintly  from  the  creek  in  the  hollow. 
Between  himself  and  it  slender  birches  lay  piled  amidst 
the  parched  and  dusty  grass,  and  the  first  courses  of  a 
wooden  building,  rank  with  the  smell  of  sappy  timber, 
already  stood  in  front  of  him.  There  was  no  notch  in 
the  framing  that  had  not  been  made  and  pinned  with  an 
exact  precision.  In  its  scanty  shadow  his  daughter  sat 
knitting  beside  a  smouldering  fire  over  which  somebody 
had  suspended  a  big  blackened  kettle.  The  crash  of  the 
last  falling  trunk  had  died  away,  and  there  was  silence  in 
the  bluff;  but  a  drumming  of  hoofs  rose  in  a  sharp  stac- 
cato from  the  prairie. 

"  Now,'*  said  Muller  quietly,  "  I  think  the  chasseurs 
come." 

The  girl  looked  up  a  moment,  noticed  the  four  mounted 
figures  that  swung  over  the  crest  of  a  rise,  and  then  went 
on  with  her  knitting  again.  Still,  there  was  for  a  second 
a  little  flash  in  her  pale  blue  eyes. 

The  horsemen  came  on,  the  dust  floating  in  long 
wisps  behind  them,  until,  with  a  jingle  of  bridle  and 
stirrup,  they  pulled  up  before  the  building.  Three  of 
them  were  bronzed  and  dusty,  in  weather-stained  blue 
shirts,  wide  hats,  and  knee-boots  that  fitted  them  like 
gloves ;  and  there  was  ironical  amusement  in  their  faces. 
Each  sat  his  horse  as  if  he  had  never  known  any  other 
seat  than  the  saddle;  but  the  fourth  was  different  from 
the  rest.  He  wore  a  jacket  of  richly  embroidered  deer- 
skin, and  the  shirt  under  it  was  white ;  while  he  sat  with 
one  hand  in  a  big  leather  glove  resting  on  his  hip.  His 
face  was  sallow  and  his  eyes  were  dark. 

"  Hallo,  Hamburg!  "  he  said,  and  his  voice  had  a  little 
commanding  ring.    "  You  seem  kind  of  busy.'' 

44 


MULLER  STANDS  FAST 

Muller  blinked  at  him.  He  had  apparently  not  yet 
found  his  spectacles,  but  he  had  in  the  meanwhile  come 
upon  his  axe,  and  now  stood  very  straight,  with  the  long 
haft  reaching  to  his  waist. 

"  Ja,"  he  said.    "  Mine  house  I  build.'* 

"  Well,"  said  the  man  in  the  embroidered  jacket,  *'  I 
fancy  you're  wasting  time.  Asked  anybody's  leave  to 
cut  that  lumber,  or  put  it  up?  " 

"  Mine  friend,"  said  Muller,  smiling,  **  when  it  is  nod 
necessary  I  ask  nodings  of  any  man.'^ 

"  Then,"  said  the  horseman  drily,  as  he  turned  to  his 
companions^  "  I  fancy  that's  where  you're  wrong.  Boys, 
we'll  take  him  along  in  case  Torrance  would  like  to  see 
him.    I  guess  you'll  have  to  walk  home,  Jim." 

A  man  dismounted  and  led  forward  his  horse  with  ai 
wrench  upon  the  bridle  that  sent  it  plunging.  "  Get  your 
foot  in  the  stirrup,  Hamburg,  and  I'll  hoist  you  up,"  he; 
said. 

Muller  stood  motionless,  and  the  horseman  in  deerskin 
glancing  round  in  his  direction  saw  his  daughter  for  the 
first  time.  He  laughed;  but  there  was  something  in  his 
black  eyes  that  caused  the  Teuton's  fingers  to  close  a 
trifle  upon  the  haft  of  the  axe. 

"  You'll  have  to  get  down,  Charlie,  as  well  as  Jim,"  he 
said.  **  Torrance  has  his  notions,  or  Coyote  might  have 
carried  Miss  Hamburg  that  far  as  well.  Sorry  to  hurryj 
you,  Hamburg,  but  I  don't  like  waiting." 

Muller  stepped  back  a  pace,  and  the  axe-head  flashed 
as  he  moved  his  hand ;  while,  dazzled  by  the  beam  it  cast, 
the  half-tamed  broncho  rose  with  hoofs  in  the  air.  Its 
owner  smote  it  on  the  nostrils  with  his  fist,  and  the  pair 
sidled  round  each  other — the  man  with  his  arm  drawn 
back,  the  beast  with  laid-back  ears — for  almost  a  minute 
before  they  came  to  a  standstill. 

45 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  Mine  friend,"  said  MuUer,  **  other  day  I  der  pleasure 
have.    I  mine  house  have  to  build." 

"  Get  up,"  said  the  stockrider.  "  Ever  seen  anybody 
fire  off  a  gun?  " 

Muller  laughed  softly,  and  glanced  at  the  leader.  "  Der 
rifle,"  he  said  drily.  "  I  was  at  Sedan.  To-day  it  is  not 
convenient  that  I  come." 

"  Hoist  him  up !  "  said  the  leader,  and  once  more,  while 
the  other  man  moved  forward,  Muller  stepped  back ;  but 
this  time  there  was  an  answering  flash  in  his  blue  eyes  as 
the  big  axe-head  flashed  in  the  sun. 

"  I  guess  we'd  better  hold  on,"  said  another  man. 
^*Look  there,  Mr.  Clavering." 

He  pointed  to  the  bluff,  and  the  leader's  face  darkened 
as  he  gazed,  for  four  men  with  axes  were  running  down 
the  slope,  and  they  were  lean  and  wiry,  with  very  grim 
faces.  They  were  also  apparently  small  farmers  or  lum- 
bermen from  the  bush  of  Michigan,  and  Clavering  knew 
such  men  usually  possessed  a  terrible  proficiency  with  the 
keen-edged  weapon,  and  stubbornness  was  native  in  them. 
Two  others,  one  of  whom  he  knew,  came  behind  them. 
iThe  foremost  stopped,  and  stood  silent  when  the  man 
Clavering  recognized  signed  to  them,  but  not  before  each 
had  posted  himself  strategetically  within  reach  of  a  horse- 
man's bridle. 

"  You  might  explain,  Clavering,  what  you  and  your 
cowboys  are  doing  here,"  he  said. 

Clavering  laughed.  *'  We  are  going  to  take  your 
Teutonic  friend  up  to  the  Range.  He  is  cutting  our  fuel 
timber  with  nobody's  permission." 

"  No,"  said  Grant  drily;  "he  has  mine.  The  bluff  is 
cm  my  run." 

"Did  you  take  out  timber  rights  with  your  lease?" 
asked  Clavering. 

46 


MULLER  STANDS  FAST 

**  No,  I  hadn't  much  use  for  them.  None  of  my  neigh- 
bours hold  any  either.  But  the  bluff  is  big  enough,  and 
I've  no  objection  to  their  cutting  what  billets  they  want. 
Still,  I  can't  have  them  driving  out  any  other  friends  of 
mine." 

Clavering  smiled  ironically.  "  You  have  been  picking 
up  some  curious  acquaintances,  Larry;  but  don't  you 
think  you  had  better  leave  this  thing  to  Torrance  ?  The 
fact  is,  the  cattle-men  are  not  disposed  to  encourage 
strangers  building  houses  in  their  country  just  now." 

"  I  had  a  notion  it  belonged  to  this  State.  It's  not  an 
unusual  one,"  said  Grant. 

Clavering  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  Of  course,  it 
sounds  better  that  way.  Have  it  so.  Still,  it  will  scarcely 
pay  you  to  make  yourself  unpopular  with  us,  Larry." 

"  Well,"  said  Grant  drily,  "  it  seems  to  me  I'm  tolerably 
tinpopular  already.  But  that's  not  quite  the  point.  Take 
your  boys  away." 

Clavering  flung  his  hand  up  in  half-ironical  salutation, 
but  as  he  was  about  to  wheel  his  horse  a  young  English- 
man whose  nationality  was  plainly  stamped  upon  him 
seized  his  bridle. 

"  Not  quite  so  fast ! "  he  said.  "  It  would  be  more 
fitting  if  you  got  down  and  expressed  your  regrets  to  the 
fraulein.    You  haven't  heard  Muller's  story  yet,  Larry.'* 

"  Let  go,"  said  Clavering,  raising  the  switch  he  held. 
"  Drop  my  bridle  or  take  care  of  yourself !  " 

"  Come  down,"  said  Breckenridge. 

The  switch  went  up  and  descended  hissing  upon  part 
of  an  averted  face;  but  the  lad  sprang  as  it  fell,  and  the 
next  moment  the  horse  rose  almost  upright  with  two  men 
clinging  to  it;  one  of  them,  whose  sallow  cheeks  were 
livid  now,  swaying  in  the  saddle.  Then  Grant  grasped 
the  bridle  that  fell  from  the  rider's  hands,  and  hurled  his 

47 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

comrade  backwards,  while  some  of  the  stockriders  pushed 
their  horses  nearer,  and  the  axe-men  closed  in  about 
ithem. 

Hoarse  cries  went  up.  "  Horses  back !  Pull  him  off ! 
Give  the  Britisher  a  show!    Leave  them  to  it! '' 

It  was  evident  that  a  blunder  would  have  unpleasant 
results,  for  Clavering,  with  switch  raised,  had  tightened 
his  left  hand  on  the  bridle  Grant  had  loosed  again,  while 
a  wicked  smile  crept  into  his  eyes,  and  the  lad  stood  tense 
and  still,  with  hands  clenched  in  front  of  him,  and  a  weal 
on  his  young  face.  Grant,  however,  stepped  in  between 
them. 

"  WeVe  had  sufficient  fooling,  Breckenridge,"  he  said. 
*"  Clavering,  Til  give  you  a  minute  to  get  your  men  away, 
and  if  you  can't  do  it  in  that  time  you'll  take  the  con- 
sequences." 

Clavering  wheeled  his  horse.  "  The  odds  are  with 
you,  Larry,"  he  said.  "  You  have  made  a  big  blunder, 
but  I  guess  you  know  your  own  business  best." 

He  nodded,  including  the  f  raulein,  with  an  easy  inso- 
lence that  yet  became  him,  touched  the  horse  with  his  heel, 
and  in  another  moment  he  and  his  cowboys  were  swing- 
ing at  a  gallop  across  the  prairie.  Then,  as  they  dipped 
behind  a  rise,  those  who  were  left  glanced  at  one  another. 
Breckenridge  was  very  pale,  and  one  of  his  hands  was 
bleeding  where  Clavering's  spur  had  torn  it. 

"  It  seems  that  we  have  made  a  beginning,"  he  said 
hoarsely.  *'  It's  first  blood  to  them,  but  this  will  take  a 
lot  of  forgetting,  and  the  rest  may  be  different." 

Grant  made  no  answer,  but  turned  and  looked  at  Mul- 
ler,  who  stood  very  straight  and  square,  with  a  curious 
brightness  in  his  eyes. 

"  Are  you  going  on  with  the  contract  ?  There  is  the 
girl  to  consider,"  said  Grant. 

48 


'COME   DOWN  V'—Page  47. 


MULLER  STANDS  FAST 

"  Ja,"  said  the  Teuton.  "  I  was  in  der  Vosges,  and  der 
girl  is  also  Fraulein  Muller/' 

*'  Boys/'  said  Grant  to  the  men  from  Michigan,  "  you 
have  seen  what's  in  front  of  you,  and  you'll  probably  have 
to  use  more  than  axes  before  you're  through.  Still,  you 
have  the  chance  of  clearing  out  right  now.  I  only  want 
willing  men  behind  me." 

One  of  the  big  axe-men  laughed  scornfully,  and  there 
was  a  little  sardonic  grin  in  the  faces  of  the  rest. 

"  There's  more  room  for  us  here  than  there  was  in 
Michigan,  and  now  we've  got  our  foot  down  here  we're 
not  going  back  again,"  he  said.  "  That's  about  all  there 
is  to  it.  But  when  our  time  comes,  the  other  men  aren't 
going  to  find  us  slacker  than  the  Dutchman." 

Grant  nodded  gravely.  "  Well,"  he  said  very  simply, 
"  I  guess  the  Lord  who  made  this  country  will  know 
who's  in  the  right  and  help  them.  They'll  need  it. 
There's  a  big  fight  coming." 

Then  they  went  back  to  their  hewing  in  the  bluff,  and 
the  Fraulein  Muller  went  on  with  her  knitting. 


49 


HETTY   COMES  HOME 

It  was  an  afternoon  of  the  Indian  summer,  sunny  and 
cool,  and  the  maples  about  the  Schuyler  villa  flamed  gold 
and  crimson  against  a  sky  of  softest  blue,  when  Hetty 
Torrance  sat  reflectively  silent  on  the  lawn.  Flora 
Schuyler  sat  near  her,  with  a  book  upside  down  upon  her 
knee. 

"  You  have  been  worrying  about  something  the  last 
few  weeks,"  she  said. 

"  Is  that  quite  unusual  ?  "  asked  Hetty.  "  Haven't  a 
good  many  folks  to  worry  all  the  time?  " 

Flora  Schuyler  smiled.  "Just  finding  it  out,  Hetty? 
Well,  I  have  noticed  a  change,  and  it  began  the  day  you 
waited  for  us  at  the  depot.  And  it  wasn't  because  of 
Jake  Cheyne." 

"  No,"  said  Hetty  reflectively.  "  I  suppose  it  should 
have  been.  Have  you  heard  from  him  since  he  went 
away?" 

"  Lily  Cheyne  had  a  letter  with  some  photographs,  and 
she  showed  it  to  me.  It's  a  desolate  place  in  the  sage  bush 
he's  living  in,  and  there's  not  a  white  man,  except  the 
boys  he  can't  talk  to,  within  miles  of  him,  while  from  the 
picture  I  saw  of  his  adobe  room  I  scarcely  think  folks 
would  have  it  down  here  to  keep  hogs  in.  Jake  Cheyne 
was  fastidious,  too,  and  there  was  a  forced  cheerfulness 
about  his  letter  which  had  its  meaning,  though,  of  course, 
he  never  mentioned  you." 

SO 


HETTY  COMES  HOME 

Hetty  flushed  a  trifle.  "  Flo,  I'm  sorry.  Still,  you 
can't  blame  me.'' 

"  No,"  said  Miss  Schuyler,  "  though  there  was  a  time 
when  I  wished  I  could.  You  can't  help  being  pretty,  but 
it  ought  to  make  you  careful  when  you  see  another  of 
them  going  that  way  again." 

Hetty  made  a  little  impatient  gesture.  "  If  there  ever 
is  another,  he'll  be  pulled  up  quite  sharp.  You  don't 
think  their  foolishness,  which  spoils  everything,  is  any 
pleasure  to  me.  It's  too  humiliating.  Can't  one  be 
friends  with  a  nice  man  without  falling  in  love  with 
him?" 

"  Well,"  said  Miss  Schuyler  drily,  "  it  depends  a  good 
deal  on  how  you're  made ;  but  it's  generally  risky  for  one 
or  the  other.  Still,  perhaps  you  might,  for  I  have  a  fancy 
there's  something  short  in  you.  Now,  I'm  going  to  ask 
you  a  question.  Is  it  thinking  of  the  other  man  that  has 
made  you  restless?  I  mean  the  one  we  saw  at  the 
depot?" 

Hetty  laughed  outright.  "  Larry?  Why,  as  I  tried  to 
tell  you,  he  has  always  been  just  like  a  cousin  or  a  brother 
to  me,  and  doesn't  want  anything  but  his  horses  and  cattle 
and  his  books  on  political  economy.  Larry's  quite  happy 
with  his  ranching,  and  his  dreams  of  the  new  America. 
Of  course,  they'll  never  come  to  anything ;  but  when  you 
can  start  him  talking  they're  quite  nice  to  listen  to." 

Flora  Schuyler  shook  her  head.  "  I  wouldn't  be  too 
sure.  That  man  is  in  earnest,  and  the  dreams  of  an 
earnest  American  have  a  way  of  coming  true.  You  have 
known  him  a  long  while,  and  I've  only  seen  him  once, 
but  that  man  will  do  more  than  talk  if  he  ever  has  the 
opportunity.  He  has  the  quiet  grit  one  finds  in  the  best 
of  us — not  the  kind  that  make  the  speeches — and  some 
Englishmen,  in  him.    You  can  see  it  in  his  eyes." 

SI 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  Then,"  said  Hetty,  with  a  Httle  laugh,  "  come  back 
with  me  to  Cedar,  and  if  you're  good  you  shall  have  him^ 
It  isn't  everybody  I'd  give  Larry  to." 

There  was  a  trace  of  indignation  in  Flora  Schuyler's 
face.  "  I  fancy  he  would  not  appreciate  your  generosity, 
and  there's  a  good  deal  you  have  got  to  find  out,  Hetty," 
she  said  drily.  "  It  may  hurt  you  when  you  do.  But 
you  haven't  told  me  yet  what  has  been  worrying  you." 

"  No,"  said  Hetty,  with  a  little  wistful  smile.  "  Well, 
I'm  going  to.  It's  hard  to  own  to,  but  I'm  a  failure.  I 
fancied  I  could  make  everybody  listen  to  my  singing,  and 
I  would  come  here.  Well,  I  came,  and  found  out  that  my 
voice  would  never  bring  me  fame,  and  for  a  time  it  hurt 
me  horribly.  Still,  I  couldn't  go  back  just  then,  and  when 
you  and  your  mother  pressed  me  I  stayed.  I  knew  what 
you  expected,  and  I  disappointed  you.  Perhaps  I  was 
too  fastidious,  but  there  were  none  of  them  that  really; 
pleased  me.  Then  I  began  to  see  that  I  was  only  spoiling 
nicer  girls'  chances  and  trying  the  patience  of  everybody." 

''  Hetty ! "  said  Flora  Schuyler,  but  Miss  Torrance 
checked  her. 

"  Wait  until  I'm  through.  Then  it  became  plain  to 
me  that  while  I'd  been  wasting  my  time  here  the  work  I 
was  meant  for  was  waiting  at  Cedar.  The  old  man  who 
gave  me  everything  is  very  lonely  there,  and  he  and  Larry 
have  been  toiling  on  while  I  flung  'most  what  a  ranch 
would  cost  away  on  lessons  and  dresses  and  fripperies, 
which  will  never  be  any  good  to  me.  Still,  I'm  an  Ameri- 
can, too,  and  now,  when  there's  trouble  coming,  I'm  going 
back  to  the  place  I  belong  to." 

"  You  are  doing  the  right  thing  now,"  said  Flora 
Schuyler. 

Hetty  smiled  somewhat  mirthlessly.  "  Well,"  she  said, 
"because  it's  hard,  I  guess  I  am;  but  there's  one  thing 

52 


HETTY  COMES  HOME 

would  make  it  easier.  You  will  come  and  stay  with  me. 
You  don't  know  how  much  I  want  you ;  and  New  York 
in  winter  doesn't  suit  you.  You're  pale  already.  Come 
and  try  our  clear,  dry  cold." 

Eventually  Miss  Schuyler  promised,  and  Hetty  rose. 
"  Then  it's  fixed,"  she  said.  "  I'll  write  the  old  man  a 
dutiful  letter  now,  while  I  feel  like  doing  it  well." 

The  letter  was  duly  written,  and,  as  it  happened, 
reached  Torrance  as  he  sat  alone  one  evening  in  his  great 
bare  room  at  Cedar  Range.  Among  the  papers  on  the 
table  in  front  of  him  were  letters  from  the  cattle-men's 
committees,  which  had  sprung  into  existence  every  here 
and  there,  and  Torrance  apparently  did  not  find  them 
reassuring,  for  there  was  care  in  his  face.  It  had  become 
evident  that  the  big  ranchers'  rights  were  mostly  tradi- 
tional, and  already,  in  scattered  detachments,  the  van- 
guard of  the  homesteaders'  host  was  filing  in.  Here  and 
there  they  had  made  their  footing  good ;  more  often,  by 
means  not  wholly  constitutional,  their  outposts  had  been 
driven  in;  but  it  was  noticeable  that  Torrance  and  his 
neighbours  still  believed  them  no  more  than  detachments, 
and  had  not  heard  the  footsteps  of  the  rest.  Three  years* 
residence  in  that  land  had  changed  the  aliens  into  Ameri- 
can citizens,  but  a  lifetime  of  prosperity  could  scarcely 
efiface  the  bitterness  they  had  brought  with  them  from 
the  east,  while  some,  in  spite  of  their  crude  socialistic 
aspirations,  were  drilled  men  who  had  herded  the  impe- 
rial legions  like  driven  cattle  into  Sedan.  More  of  native 
birth,  helots  of  the  cities,  and  hired  hands  of  the  plains, 
were  also  turning  desiring  eyes  upon  the  wide  spaces  of 
the  cattle  country,  where  there  was  room  for  all. 

Torrance  opened  his  letter  and  smiled  somewhat  drily. 
It  was  affectionate  and  not  without  its  faint  pathos,  for 
Hetty  had  been  stirred  when  she  wrote ;  but  the  grim  old 

53 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

widower  felt  no  great  desire  for  the  gentle  attentions  of  a 
dutiful  daughter  just  then. 

"  We  shall  be  at  Cedar  soon  after  you  get  this,"  he 
read  among  the  rest.  "  I  know  if  I  had  told  you  earlier 
you  would  have  protested  you  didn't  want  me,  just 
because  you  foolishly  fancied  I  should  be  lonely  at  the 
Range;  but  I  have  been  very  selfish,  and  you  must  have 
been  horribly  lonely  too ;  and  one  of  the  nicest  girls  you 
ever  saw  is  coming  to  amuse  you.  You  can't  help  liking 
Flo.  Of  course  I  had  to  bring  a  maid ;  but  you  will  have 
to  make  the  best  of  us,  because  you  couldn't  stop  us  now 
if  you  wanted  to." 

It  was  noticeable  that  Torrance  took  the  pains  to  con- 
firm this  fact  by  reference  to  a  railroad  schedule,  and> 
finding  it  incontrovertible,  shook  his  head, 

"  Three  of  them,"  he  said. 

Then  he  sat  still  with  the  letter  in  his  hand,  while  a 
trace  of  tenderness  crept  into  his  face,  which,  however, 
grew  grave  again,  until  there  was  a  tapping  at  the  door, 
and  Clavering  came  in. 

"  You  seem  a  trifle  worried,  sir,  and  if  you're  busy  I 
needn't  keep  you  long,"  he  said.  "  I  just  wanted  to  hand 
you  a  cheque  for  the  subscription  you  paid  for  me." 

"  Sit  down,"  said  Torrance.  "  Where  did  you  get  the 
dollars  from  ?  " 

Clavering  appeared  almost  uneasy  for  a  moment,  but 
he  laughed.  "  I've  been  thinning  out  my  cattle." 

"  That's  not  a  policy  I  approve  of  just  now.  We'll 
have  the  rabble  down  upon  us  as  soon  as  we  show  any 
sign  of  weakening." 

Clavering  made  a  little  deprecatory  gesture.  "It 
wasn't  a  question  of  policy.  I  had  to  have  the  dollars. 
Still,  you  haven't  told  me  if  you  have  heard  anything 
unpleasant  from  the  other  committees." 

54 


HETTY  COMES  HOME 

Torrance  appeared  thoughtful.  He  suspected  that 
Clavering*s  ranch  was  embarrassed,  and  the  explanation 
was  plausible. 

* '  No,  **  he  said.  '  *  It  was  something  else.  Hetty  is  on 
her  way  home,  and  she  is  bringing  another  young  woman 
and  a  maid  with  her.  They  will  be  here  before  I  can  stop 
them.     Still,  I  could,  if  it  was  necessary,  send  them  back." 

Clavering  did  not  answer  for  a  moment,  though  Tor- 
rance saw  the  faint  gleam  in  his  dark  eyes,  and  watched 
him  narrowly.  Then  he  said,  '*  You  will  find  a  change 
in  Miss  Torrance,  sir.  She  has  grown  into  a  beautiful 
young  woman,  and  has,  I  fancy,  been  taught  to  think  for 
herself  in  the  city ;  you  could  not  expect  her  to  come  back 
as  she  left  the  prairie.  And  if  anything  has  induced  her 
to  decide  that  her  place  is  here,  she  will  probably  stay." 

'* You're  not  quite  plain.     What  could  induce  her?" 

Clavering  smiled,  though  he  saw  that  the  shot  had  told. 
**  It  was  astonishing  that  Miss  Torrance  did  not  honour 
me  with  her  confidence.  A  sense  of  duty,  perhaps, 
although  one  notices  that  the  motives  of  young  women 
are  usually  a  trifle  involved.  It,  however,  appears  to  me 
that  if  Miss  Torrance  makes  up  her  mind  to  stay,  we  are 
still  quite  capable  of  guarding  our  women  from  anxiety 
or  molestation." 

*' Yes,"  said  Torrance  grimly.  **  Of  course.  Still,  we 
may  have  to  do  things  we  would  sooner  they  didn't  hear 
about  or  see.     Well,  you  have  some  news?" 

Clavering  nodded.  *'  I  was  in  at  the  railroad,  and  fifty 
Dakota  men  came  in  on  the  cars.  I  went  round  to  the 
hotel  with  the  committee,  and,  though  it  cost  some  dol- 
lars to  fix  the  thing,  they  wouldn't  take  them  in.  The 
boys,  who  got  kind  of  savage,  found  a  pole  and  drove  the 
door  in,  but  we  turned  the  Sheriff,  who  had  already  sworn 
some  of  us  in,  loose  on  them,     Four  or  five  men  were 

55 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

nastily  clubbed,  and  one  of  James's  boys  was  shot  through 
the  arm,  while  I  have  a  fancy  that  the  citizens  would  have 
stood  in  with  the  other  crowd ;  but  seeing  they  were  not 
going  to  get  anything  to  eat  there,  they  held  up  a  store, 
and  as  we  told  the  man  who  kept  it  how  their  friends  had 
sacked  Regent,  he  fired  at  them.  The  consequence  is 
that  the  Sheriff  has  some  of  them  in  jail,  and  the  rest  are 
camped  down  on  the  prairie.     We  hold  the  town.'' 

"Through  the  Sheriff?" 

Clavering  laughed.  "  He'll  earn  his  pay.  Has  it  struck 
you  that  this  campaign  is  going  to  cost  us  a  good  deal? 
Allonby  hasn't  much  left  in  hand  already." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  the  older  man,  with  a  little  grim  smile, 
"  If  it's  wanted  I'll  throw  my  last  dollar  in.  Beaten  now 
and  we're  beaten  for  ever.    We  have  got  to  win." 

Clavering  said  nothing  further,  though  he  realized, 
perhaps  more  clearly  than  his  leader,  that  it  was  only  by 
the  downfall  of  the  cattle-men  the  small  farmer  could 
establish  himself,  and,  when  he  had  handed  a  cheque  to 
Torrance,  went  out. 

It  was  three  days  later  when  Hetty  Torrance  rose  from 
her  seat  in  a  big  vestibule  car  as  the  long  train  slackened 
speed  outside  a  little  Western  station.  She  laughed  as 
she  swept  her  glance  round  the  car. 

"  Look  at  it,  Flo,"  she  said ;  "  gilding  and  velvet  and 
nickel,  all  quite  in  keeping  with  the  luxury  of  the  East. 
You  are  environed  by  civilization  still ;  but  once  you  step 
off  the  platform  there  will  be  a  difference." 

Flora  Schuyler,  who  noticed  the  little  flush  in  her  com- 
panion's face,  glanced  out  of  the  dusty  window,  for  the 
interior  of  the  gently-rocking  car,  with  its  lavish  decora- 
tion and  upholstery,  was  not  new  to  her,  and  the  first  thing 
that  caught  her  eye  was  the  miscellaneous  deposit  of  rub- 
bish, old  boots,  and  discarded  clothing,  amidst  the  willows 

56 


HETTY  COMES  HOME 

that  slowly  flitted  by.  Then  she  saw  a  towering  water- 
tank,  wooden  houses  that  rose  through  a  haze  of  blowing 
dust,  hideous  in  their  unadornment,  against  a  crystalline 
sky,  and  a  row  of  close-packed  stock-cars  which  an- 
nounced that  they  were  in  the  station. 

It  seemed  to  be  thronged  with  the  populace,  and  there 
was  a  murmur,  apparently  of  disappointed  expectancy, 
when,  as  the  cars  stopped,  the  three  women  alone  ap- 
peared on  the  platform.  Then  there  was  a  shout  for  the 
conductor,  and  somebody  said,  "  YouVe  no  rustlers  ^ 
aboard  for  us?  " 

**  No,"  said  the  grinning  official  who  leaned  out  from 
the  door  of  the  baggage-car.  "  The  next  crowd  are  wait- 
ing until  they  can  buy  rifles  to  whip  you  with." 

Hoarse  laughter  followed,  and  somebody  said,  **  Boys, 
your  friends  aren't  coming.  You  can  take  your  band 
home  again." 

Then  out  of  the  clamour  came  the  roll  of  a  drum,  and, 
clear  and  musical,  the  ringing  of  bugles  blown  by  men 
who  had  marched  with  Grant  and  Sherman  when  they 
were  young.  The  effect  was  stirring,  and  a  cheer  went 
up,  for  there  were  other  men  present  in  whom  the  spirit 
which,  underlying  immediate  issues,  had  roused  the  North 
to  arms  was  living  yet;  but  it  broke  off  into  laughter 
when,  one  by  one,  discordant  instruments  and  beaten  pans 
joined  in.  The  din,  however,  ceased  suddenly,  when 
somebody  said,  "  Hadn't  you  better  let  up,  boys,  or  Tor- 
rance will  figure  you  sent  the  band  for  him  ?  " 

Miss  Schuyler  appeared  a  trifle  bewildered,  the  maid 
frightened;  but  Hetty's  cheeks  were  glowing. 

"Flo,"  she  said,  "aren't  you  glad  you  came?  The 
boys  are  taking  the  trail.  We'll  show  you  how  we  stir 
the  prairie  up  by  and  by !  " 

Miss  Schuyler  was  very  doubtful  as  to  whether  the 

57 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

prospect  afforded  her  any  pleasure ;  but  just  then  a  grey- 
haired  man,  dressed  immaculately  in  white  shirt  and  city 
clothes,  kissed  her  companion,  and  then,  taking  off  his 
hat,  handed  her  down  from  the  platform  with  ceremonious 
courtesy.  He  had  a  grim,  forceful  face,  with  pride  and 
command  in  it,  and  Miss  Schuyler,  who  felt  half  afraid 
of  him  then,  never  quite  overcame  the  feeling.  She 
noticed,  however,  that  he  paid  equal  attention  to  the 
terrified  maid. 

"  It  would  be  a  duty  to  do  our  best  for  any  of  Hetty's 
friends  who  have  been  so  kind  to  her  in  the  city,  but  in 
this  case  it's  going  to  be  a  privilege,  too,"  he  said.  "  Well, 
you  will  be  tired,  and  they  have  a  meal  waiting  you  at  the 
hotel.  This  place  is  a  little  noisy  to-day,  but  we'll  start 
on  the  first  stage  of  your  journey  when  you're  ready." 

He  gave  Miss  Schuyler  his  arm,  and  moved  towards 
the  thickest  of  the  crowd,  which,  though  apparently 
slightly  hostile,  made  way  for  him.  Here  and  there  a 
man  drove  his  fellows  back,  and  one,  catching  up  a  loose 
plank,  laid  it  down  for  the  party  to  cross  the  rail  switches 
on.  Torrance  turned  to  thank  him,  but  the  man  swept 
his  hat  off  with  a  laugh. 

"  I  wouldn't  worry ;  it  wasn't  for  you,"  he  said.  "  It's 
a  long  while  since  we've  seen  anything  so  pretty  as  Miss 
Torrance  and  the  other  one." 

Flora  Schuyler  flushed  a  little,  but  Hetty  turned  to  the 
speaker  with  a  sparkle  in  her  eyes. 

"  Now,"  she  said,  "  that  was  'most  worth  a  dollar,  and 
if  I  didn't  know  what  kind  of  man  you  were,  I'd  give  it 
you.     But  what  about  Clarkson's  Lou  ?  " 

There  was  a  laugh  from  the  assembly,  and  the  man 
appeared  embarrassed. 

"  Well,"  he  said  slowly,  "  she  went  off  with  Jo."^ 

Miss  Torrance  nodded  sympathetically.     "  Still,  if  she 

58 


HETTY  COMES  HOME 

knew  no  better  than  that,  I  wouldn't  worry.  Jo  had  a 
cast  in  his  eye." 

The  crowd  laughed  again,  and  Flora  Schuyler  glanced 
at  her  companion  with  some  astonishment  as  she  asked, 
"  Do  you  always  talk  to  them  that  way  ?  " 

"  Of  course,"  said  Hetty.  "  They're  our  boys — grown 
right  here.     Aren't  they  splendid  ?  " 

Miss  Schuyler  once  more  appeared  dubious,  and  made 
no  answer;  but  she  noticed  that  the  man  now  preceded 
them,  and  raised  his  hand  when  they  came  up  with  the 
band,  which  had  apparently  halted  to  indulge  in  retort  or 
badinage  with  some  of  those  who  followed  them. 

"  Hold  on  a  few  minutes,  boys,  and  down  with  that 
flag,"  he  said. 

Then  a  tawdry  banner  was  lowered  suddenly  between 
two  poles,  but  not  before  Miss  Torrance  had  seen  part 
of  the  blazoned  legend.  Its  unvarnished  forcefulness 
brought  a  flush  to  her  companion's  cheek. 

"  Dad,"  she  asked  more  gravely,  "  what  is  it  all 
about?". 

Torrance  laughed  a  little.  *'  That,"  he  said,  *'  is  a 
tolerably  big  question.  It  would  take  quite  a  long  while 
to  answer  it." 

They  had  a  street  to  traverse,  and  Hetty  saw  that  it 
was  filled  with  little  knots  of  men,  some  of  whom  stared 
at  her  father,  though  as  she  passed  their  hats  came  off. 
Miss  Schuyler,  on  her  part,  noticed  that  most  of  the  stores 
were  shut,  and  felt  that  she  had  left  New  York  a  long  way 
behind  as  she  glanced  at  the  bare  wooden  houses  cracked 
by  frost  and  sun,  rickety  plank  walks,  whirhng  wisps  of 
dust,  and  groups  of  men,  splendid  in  their  lean,  muscular 
symmetry  and  picturesque  apparel.  There  was  a  bold- 
ness in  their  carriage,  and  a  grace  that  approached  the 
statuesque  in  every  poise.     Still,  she  started  when  they 

59 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

passed  one  wooden  building  where  blue-shirted  figures 
with  rifles  stood  motionless  in  the  verandah. 

"  The  jail/'  said  Torrance,  quietly.  ''  The  Sheriff  has 
one  or  two  rioters  safe  inside  there." 

They  found  an  indifferent  meal  ready  at  the  wooden 
hotel,  and  when  they  descended  in  riding  dress  a  wagon 
with  their  baggage  was  waiting  outside  the  door,  while  a 
few  mounted  men  with  wide  hats  and  bandoliers  came  up 
with  three  saddle-horses.  Torrance  bestowed  the  maid  in 
the  light  wagon,  and,  when  the  two  girls  were  mounted, 
swung  himself  into  the  saddle.  Then,  as  they  trotted 
down  the  unpaved  street,  Hetty  glanced  at  him  and 
pointed  to  the  dusty  horsemen. 

"  What  are  the  boys  for?  "  she  asked. 

Torrance  smiled  grimly.  ''  I  told  you  we  had  our 
troubles.  It  seemed  better  to  bring  them,  in  case  we  had 
any  difficulty  with  Larry's  friends." 

*' Larry's  friends?"  asked  Hetty,  almost  indignantly. 

Torrance  nodded.  "  Yes,"  he  said.  *'  You  have  seen 
a  few  of  them.  They  were  carrying  the  flag  with  the  in- 
scription at  the  depot." 

Hetty  asked  nothing  further,  but  Flora  Schuyler  noticed 
the  little  flash  in  her  eyes,  and  as  they  crossed  the  railroad 
track  the  clear  notes  of  the  bugles  rose  again  and  were 
followed  by  a  tramp  of  feet.  Glancing  over  their  shoul- 
ders the  girls  could  see  men  moving  in  a  body,  with  the 
flag  they  carried  tossing  amidst  the  dust.  They  were 
coming  on  in  open  fours,  and  when  the  bugles  ceased  deep 
voices  sent  a  marching  song  ringing  across  the  wooden 
town. 

Hetty's  eyes  sparkled ;  the  stockriders  seemed  to  swing 
more  lightly  in  their  saddles,  and  Flora  Schuyler  felt  a 
little  quiver  run  through  her.  Something  that  jingling 
rhythm  and  the  simple  words  expressed  but  inarticulately 

60 


HETTY  COMES  HOME 

stirred  her  blood,  as  she  remembered  that  in  her  nation's 
last  great  struggle  the  long  batallions  had  limped  on, 
ragged  and  footsore,  singing  that  song. 

**  Listen,"  said  Hetty,  while  the  colour  crept  into  her 
face.  "  Oh,  I  know  it's  scarcely  music,  and  the  crudest 
verse;  but  it  served  its  purpose,  and  is  there  any  nation 
on  earth  could  put  more  swing  and  spirit  into  the  grandest 
theme?'' 

Torrance  smiled  somewhat  drily,  but  there  was  a  curi- 
ous expression  in  his  face.  ''  Some  of  those  men  are 
drawing  their  pension,  but  they're  not  with  us,"  he  said. 
"  It's  only  because  we  have  sent  in  all  the  boys  we  can 
spare  that  the  Sheriff,  who  has  their  partners  in  his  jail, 
can  hold  the  town." 

A  somewhat  impressive  silence  followed  this,  and  Flora 
Schuyler  glanced  at  Hetty  when  they  rode  out  into  the 
white  prairie  with  two  dusty  men  with  bandoliers  on 
either  flank. 


6i 


VI 

THE  INCENDIARY 

Events  of  no  apparent  moment  have  extensive  issues 
now  and  then,  and  while  cattle-man  and  homesteader 
braced  themselves  for  the  conflict  which  they  felt  would 
come,  the  truce  might  have  lasted  longer  but  for  the  fact 
that  one  night  MuUer  slept  indifferently  in  the  new  house 
he  had  built.  He  was  never  quite  sure  what  made  him 
restless,  or  prompted  him  to  open  and  lean  out  of  his  win- 
dow; and,  when  he  had  done  this,  he  saw  and  heard 
nothing  unusual  for  a  while. 

On  one  hand  the  birch  bluff  rose,  a  dusky  wall,  against 
the  indigo  of  the  sky,  and  in  front  of  him  the  prairie  rolled 
away,  silent  and  shadowy.  There  was  scarcely  a  sound 
but  the  low  ripple  of  the  creek,  until,  somewhere  far  off  in 
the  distance,  a  coyote  howled.  The  drawn-out  wail  had 
in  it  something  unearthly,  and  Muller,  who  was  by  no 
means  an  imaginative  man,  shivered  a  little.  The  deep 
silence  of  the  great  empty  land  emphasized  by  the  sound 
reacted  upon  him  and  increased  his  restlessness. 

Scarcely  knowing  why  he  did  so,  except  that  he  felt 
he  could  not  sleep,  he  slipped  on  a  few  garments,  and 
moved  softly  to  the  door,  that  he  might  not  disturb  his 
daughter.  There  was  no  moon  when  he  went  out,  but 
the  stars  shone  clearly  in  the  great  vault  of  blue,  and  the 
barns  and  stables  he  had  built  rose  black  against  the  sky. 
Though  Grant  had  lent  him  assistance  and  he  had  hewn 
the  lumber  on  the  spot,  one  cannot  build  a  homestead  and 

62 


THE  INCENDIARY 

equip  it  for  nothing,  and  when  he  had  provided  himself 
with  working  horses,  Muller  had  sunk  the  last  of  his 
scanty  capital  in  the  venture.  It  was  perhaps  this  fact 
which  induced  him  to  approach  the  stable,  moving  noise- 
lessly in  his  slippers,  and  glance  within. 

The  interior  was  black  and  shadowy,  but  there  was  no 
doubting  the  fact  that  the  beasts  were  moving  restlessly. 
Muller  went  in,  holding  his  breath  as  he  peered  about  him, 
and  one  broncho  backed  away  as  he  approached  its  stall. 
Muller  patted  it  on  the  flank,  and  the  horse  stood  still,  as 
though  reassured,  when  it  recognized  him,  which  was  not 
without  its  meaning.  He  listened,  but  hearing  nothing 
groped  round  the  stable,  and  taking  a  hayfork  went  out 
as  softly  as  he  had  entered,  and  took  up  his  post  in  the 
deepest  shadow,  where  he  commanded  outbuildings  and 
house.  There  was,  he  knew,  nobody  but  Grant  dwelling 
within  several  leagues  of  him,  and  as  yet  property  was  at 
least  as  safe  in  that  country  as  it  was  in  Chicago  or  New 
York ;  but  as  he  leaned,  impassively  watchful,  against  the 
wall,  he  remembered  an  episode  which  had  happened  a 
few  weeks  earlier. 

He  had  been  overtaken  by  a  band  of  stockriders  when 
fording  the  creek  with  his  daughter,  and  one  who  loitered 
behind  them  reined  his  horse  in  and  spoke  to  the  girl. 
Muller  never  knew  what  his  words  had  been ;  but  he  saw 
the  sudden  colour  in  the  fraulein's  face,  and  seized  the 
man's  bridle.  An  altercation  ensued,  and  when  the  man 
rejoined  his  comrades,  who  apparently  did  not  sympathize 
with  him,  his  bridle  hand  hung  limp  and  the  farmer  was 
smiling  as  he  swung  a  stick.  Muller  attached  no  especial 
importance  to  the  affair ;  but  Grant,  who  did  not  tell  him 
so,  differed  in  this  when  he  heard  of  it.  He  knew  that  the 
cattle-rider  is  usually  rather  chivalrous  than  addicted  to 
distasteful  gallantries. 

63 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

In  any  case,  Muller  heard  nothing  for  a  while,  and  felt 
tempted  to  return  to  his  bed  when  he  grew  chilly.  He 
had,  however,  spent  bitter  nights  stalking  the  franc  tireurs 
ifi  the  snow,  and  the  vigilance  taught  and  demanded  by  an 
inflexible  discipline  had  not  quite  deserted  him,  though  he 
was  considerably  older  and  less  nimble  now.  At  last, 
however,  a  dim,  moving  shadow  appeared  round  a  corner 
of  the  building,  stopped  a  moment,  and  then  slid  on  again 
towards  the  door.  So  noiseless  was  it  that  Muller  could 
almost  have  believed  his  eyes  had  deceived  him  until  he 
heard  the  hasp  rattle.  Still,  he  waited  until  the  figure 
passed  into  the  stable,  and  then  very  cautiously  crept 
along  the  wall.  Muller  was  not  so  vigorous  as  he  had 
been  when  proficiency  in  the  use  of  the  bayonet  had  been 
drilled  into  him;  but  while  his  fingers  tightened  on  the 
haft  of  the  fork  he  fancied  that  he  had  still  strength 
enough  to  serve  his  purpose.  He  had  also  been  taught  to 
use  it  to  the  best  advantage. 

He  straightened  himself  a  little  when  he  stood  in  the 
entrance  and  looked  about  him.  There  was  a  gleam  of 
light  in  the  stable  now,  for  a  lantern  stood  upon  a  manger 
and  revealed  by  its  uncertain  glimmer  a  pile  of  prairie  hay, 
with  a  kerosene-can  upon  it,  laid  against  the  logs.  Muller 
was  not  wholly  astonished,  but  he  was  looking  for  more 
than  that,  and  the  next  moment  he  saw  a  shadowy  object 
apparently  loosing  the  nearest  horse's  halter.  It  was 
doubtless  a  merciful  deed,  but  it  was  to  cost  the  incendiary 
dear :  for  when,  perhaps  warned  by  some  faint  sound,  he 
looked  up  suddenly,  he  saw  a  black  figure  between  him 
and  the  door. 

On  the  instant  he  dropped  the  halter,  and  the  hand  that 
had  held  it  towards  his  belt ;  but,  as  it  happened,  the  horse 
pinned  him  against  the  stall,  and  his  opportunity  had 
passed  when  it  moved  again.     Muller  had  drawn  his  right 

64 


THE  INCENDIARY 

leg  back  with  his  knee  bent  a  trifle,  and  there  was  a  rattle 
as  he  brought  the  long  fork  down  to  the  charge.  Thus, 
when  the  man  was  free  the  deadly  points  twinkled  in  a  ray 
from  the  lantern  within  a  foot  of  his  breast.  It  was  also 
unpleasantly  evident  that  a  heave  of  the  farmer's  shoulder 
would  bury  them  in  the  quivering  flesh. 

**  Hands  oop !  "  a  stern  voice  said. 

The  man  delayed  a  second.  The  butt  of  the  pistol  that 
would  equalize  the  affair  was  almost  within  his  grasp,  and 
Muller  stood  in  the  light,  but  he  saw  an  ominous  glint  in 
the  pale  blue  eyes  and  the  farmer's  fingers  tighten  on  the 
haft.  There  was  also  a  suggestive  raising  of  one  shoul- 
der ;  and  his  hands  went  up  above  his  head.  Muller  ad- 
vanced the  points  an  inch  or  two,  stiffening  his  right  leg, 
and  smiled  grimly.  The  other  man  stared  straight  in 
front  of  him  with  dilated  eyes,  and  a  little  grey  patch 
growing  larger  in  either  cheek. 

"  Are  you  going  to  murder  me,  you  condemned  Dutch- 
man ? ''  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  Muller  tranquilly,  "  if  you  der  movement 
make.  So!  It  is  done  without  der  trouble  when  you 
have  der  bayonet  exercise  make." 

The  points  gleamed  as  they  swung  forward,  and  the 
man  gasped;  but  they  stopped  at  the  right  second,  and 
Muller,  who  had  hove  his  burly  form  a  trifle  more  up- 
right, sank  back  again,  bringing  his  foot  down  with  a 
stamp.  The  little  demonstration  was  more  convincing 
than  an  hour  of  argument. 

"  Well,"  said  the  man  hoarsely,  "  Fm  corralled. 
Throw  that  thing  away,  and  I'll  give  you  my  pistol." 

Muller  laughed,  and  then  raised  his  great  voice  in  what 
was  to  the  other  an  unknown  tongue.  "  Lotta,"  he  said, 
"  Come  quick,  and  bring  the  American  rifle." 

There  was  silence  for  perhaps  five  minutes,  and  the  men 

65 


THE   CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

watched  each  other,  one  white  in  the  face  and  quivering  a 
little,  his  adversary  impassive  as  a  statue,  but  quietly  ob- 
servant. Then  there  was  a  patter  of  hasty  footsteps,  and 
the  fraulein  stood  in  the  lantern  light  with  a  flushed, 
plump  face  and  somewhat  scanty  dress.  She  apparently 
recognized  the  man,  and  her  colour  deepened,  but  that 
was  the  only  sign  of  confusion  she  showed ;  and  it  was  evi- 
dent that  the  discipline  of  the  fatherland  had  not  been 
neglected  in  Muller's  household. 

'*  Lotta,"  he  said  in  English,  "  open  der  little  slide. 
You  feel  der  cartridge?  Now,  der  butt  to  der  shoulder, 
und  der  eye  on  der  sight,  as  I  have  teach  you.  Der  mid- 
dle of  him  is  der  best  place.  I  shout,  und  you  press  quite 
steady." 

He  spoke  with  a  quiet  precision  that  had  its  effect ;  and, 
whatever  the  girl  felt,  she  obeyed  each  command  in  rota- 
tion. There  was,  however,  one  danger  which  the  stranger 
realized,  and  that  was  that  with  an  involuntary  contrac- 
tion of  the  forefinger  she  might  anticipate  the  last  one. 

"  She'll  shoot  me  before  she  means  to,"  he  said,  with  a 
little  gasp.     "  Come  and  take  the  condemned  pistol." 

"  Der  middle  of  him !  "  said  MuUer  tranquilly.  "  No 
movement  make,  you !  " 

Dropping  the  fork  he  moved  forward,  not  in  front  of 
the  man,  but  to  his  side,  and  whipped  the  pistol  from  his 
belt. 

"  One  turn  make,"  he  said.  ''  So !  Your  hand  behind 
you.     Lotta,  you  will  now  a  halter  get." 

The  girl's  loose  bodice  rose  and  fell  as  she  laid  down  the 
rifle,  but  she  was  swift,  and  in  less  than  another  minute 
Muller  had  bound  his  captive's  hands  securely  behind  his 
back  and  cross-lashed  them  from  wrist  to  elbow.  He  in- 
spected the  work  critically  and  then  nodded,  as  if  con- 
tented. 

66 


'SHE'LL  SHOOT  ME   BEFORE  SHE  MEANS  TOr~^Page  66. 


THE  INCENDIARY 

"Lotta,"  he  said,  *'put  der  saddle  on  der  broncho 
horse.  Then  in  der  house  you  der  cordial  find,  und  of  it 
one  large  spoonful  mit  der  water  take.  My  pipe  you 
bring  me  also,  und  then  you  ride  for  Mr.  Grant." 

The  girl  obeyed  him ;  and  when  the  drumming  of  horse- 
hoofs  died  away  Muller  sat  down  in  front  of  his  prisoner, 
who  now  lay  upon  a  pile  of  prairie  hay,  and  with  his  usual 
slow  precision  lighted  his  big  meerschaum.  The  Ameri- 
can watched  him  for  a  minute  or  two,  and  then  grew  red 
in  the  face  as  a  fit  of  passion  shook  him. 

"  You  condemned  Dutchman !  "  he  said. 

Muller  laughed.  "  Der  combliment,"  he  said,  ''  is  nod 
of  much  use  to-night.'' 

It  was  an  hour  later  when  Grant  and  several  horsemen 
arrived,  and  he  nodded  as  he  glanced  at  the  prisoner. 

"  I  figured  it  was  you.  There's  not  another  man  on  the 
prairie  mean  enough  for  this  kind  of  work,"  he  said, 
pointing  to  the  kerosene-can.  "  You  didn't  even  know 
enough  to  do  it  decently,  and  you're  about  the  only  Amer- 
ican who'd  have  let  an  old  man  tie  his  hands." 

The  prisoner  winced  perceptibly.  "  Well,"  he  said 
hoarsely,  glancing  towards  the  hayfork,  rifle,  and  pistol, 
which  still  lay  at  Muller's  feet,  "  if  you're  astonished,  look 
at  the  blamed  Dutchman's  armoury." 

"  I've  one  thing  to  ask  you,"  Grant  said  sternly.  "  It's 
going  to  pay  you  to  be  quite  straight  with  me.  Who 
hired  you?  " 

There  was  defiance  in  the  incendiary's  eyes,  but  Grant 
was  right  in  his  surmise  that  he  was  resolute  only  because 
that  of  the  two  fears  which  oppressed  him  he  preferred  to 
bear  the  least. 

"  You  can  ask  till  you  get  sick  of  it,  but  you'll  get  noth- 
ing out  of  me,"  he  said. 

"  Take  him  out,"  said  Grant.     "  Put  him  on  to  the  led 

67 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

horse.     If  you'll  come  round  to  my  place  for  breakfast, 
I'll  be  glad  to  see  you,  Muller." 

'*  I  come,"  said  Mullen  "  Mit  der  franc  tireur  it  is 
finish  quicker,  but  here  in  der  Republic  we  reverence  have 
for  der  law." 

Grant  laughed  a  little.  "  Well,"  he  said  drily,  "  I'm 
not  quite  sure." 

He  swung  himself  to  the  saddle,  swept  off  his  hat  to  the 
girl,  who  stood  with  the  lantern  light  upon  her  in  the 
doorway,  smiling  but  flushed,  and  shook  his  bridle. 
Then  there  was  a  jingle  that  was  lost  in  the  thud  of  hoofs, 
and  the  men  vanished  into  the  shadowy  prairie.  Half  an 
hour  later  the  homestead  was  once  more  dark  and  silent ; 
but  three  men  sent  out  by  Grant  were  riding  at  a  reckless 
gallop  across  the  great  dusky  levels,  and  breakfast  was  not 
finished  when  those  whom  they  had  summoned  reached 
Fremont  ranch. 

They  were  young  men  for  the  most  part,  and  Amer- 
icans, though  there  were  a  few  who  had  only  just  become 
so  among  them,  and  two  or  three  whose  grim  faces  and 
grey  hair  told  pf  a  long  struggle  with  adversity.  They 
were  clad  in  blue  shirts  and  jean,  and  the  hard  brown 
hands  of  most  betokened  a  close  acquaintance  with  plough 
stilt,  axe,  and  bridle,  though  here  and  there  one  had  from 
his  appearance  evidently  lived  delicately.  All  appeared 
quietly  resolute,  for  they  knew  that  the  law  which  had 
given  them  the  right  to  build  their  homes  upon  that  prairie 
as  yet  left  them  to  bear  the  risks  attached  to  the  doing  of 
it.  Hitherto,  the  fact  that  the  great  ranchers  had  made 
their  own  laws  and  enforced  them  had  been  ignored  or 
tacitly  accepted  by  the  State. 

When  they  were  seated,  one  of  the  men  deputed  to 
question  the  prisoner,  stood  up.  "  You  can  take  it  that 
there's  nothing  to  be  got  out  of  him,"  he  said. 

68 


THE  INCENDIARY 

"  Still/'  said  another,  "  we  know  he  is  one  of  Claver- 
ing's  boys/' 

There  was  a  little  murmur,  for  of  all  the  cattle-barons 
Clavering  was  the  only  man  who  had  as  yet  earned  his 
adversaries'  individual  dislike.  They  were  prepared  to 
pull  down  the  others  because  their  interests,  which  they 
had  little  difficulty  in  fancying  coincided  with  those  of 
their  country,  demanded  it ;  but  Clavering,  with  his  grace- 
ful insolence,  ironical  contempt  of  them,  and  thinly-veiled 
pride,  was  a  type  of  all  their  democracy  anathematized. 
More  than  one  of  them  had  winced  under  his  soft  laugh 
and  lightly  spoken  jibes,  which  rankled  more  than  a  down- 
right injury. 

"  The  question  is  what  we're  going  to  do  with  him/' 
said  a  third  speaker. 

Again  the  low  voices  murmured,  until  a  man  stood  up. 
"  There's  one  cure  for  his  complaint,  and  that's  a  sure 
one,  but  I'm  not  going  to  urge  it  now,"  he  said.  "  Boys, 
we  don't  want  to  be  the  first  to  take  up  the  rifle,  and  it 
would  make  our  intentions  quite  as  plain  if  we  dressed 
him  in  a  coat  of  tar  and  rode  him  round  the  town.  No- 
body would  have  any  use  for  him  after  that,  and  it  would 
be  a  bigger  slap  in  Clavering's  face  than  anything  else  we 
could  do  to  him/' 

Some  of  the  men  appeared  relieved,  for  it  was  evident 
they  had  no  great  liking  for  the  sterner  alternative ;  and 
there  was  acclamation  until  Grant  rose  quietly  at  the  head 
of  the  table. 

"  I've  got  to  move  a  negative,"  he  said.  "  It  would  be 
better  if  you  handed  him  to  the  Sheriff." 

There  was  astonishment  in  most  of  the  faces,  and  some- 
body said,  '*The  Sheriff!  He'd  let  him  go  right  off. 
The  cattle-men  have  got  the  screw  on  him/' 

"  Well,"  said  Larry  quietly,  "  he  has  done  his  duty  so 

69 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

far,  and  may  do  it  again.  I  figure  we  ought  to  give  him 
the  chance/' 

Exclamations  of  dissent  followed,  and  a  man  with  a 
grim,  lean  face  stood  up.  He  spoke  tolerable  English,  but 
his  accent  differed  from  that  of  the  rest. 

"  The  first  man  put  it  straight  when  he  told  you  there 
was  only  one  cure — the  one  they  found  out  in  France  a 
hundred  years  ago,"  he  said.  **  You  don't  quite  realize 
it  yet.  You  haven't  lived  as  we  did  back  there  across 
the  sea,  and  seen  your  women  thrust  off  the  pavement 
into  the  gutter  to  make  room  for  an  officer,  or  been  struck 
with  the  sword-hilt  if  you  resented  an  insult  before  your 
fellow  citizens.  Will  you  take  off  your  hats  to  the  rich 
men  who  are  trampling  on  you,  you  republicans,  and, 
while  they  leave  you  the  right  of  speech,  beg  them  to  re- 
spect your  rights  and  liberties?  Do  that,  and  sit  still  a 
little,  and  they'll  fasten  the  yoke  we've  groaned  under  on 
your  necks." 

"  I  don't  know  that  it  isn't  eloquent,  but  it  isn't  busi- 
ness," said  somebody. 

The  man  laughed  sardonically.  **  That's  where  you're 
wrong,"  he  said.  **  I'm  trying  to  show  you  that  if  you 
want  your  liberties  you've  got  to  fight  for  them,  and  your 
leader  doesn't  seem  to  know  when,  by  hanging  one  man, 
he  can  save  a  hundred  from  misery.  It's  not  the  man 
who  laid  the  kindling  you're  striking  at,  but,  through  him, 
those  who  employed  him.  Let  them  see  you'll  take  your 
rights  without  leave  of  them.  They've  sent  you  warning 
that  if  you  stay  here  they'll  burn  your  homesteads  down, 
and  they're  waiting  your  answer.  Hang  their  firebug 
where  everyone  can  see  him,  in  the  middle  of  the  town." 

It  was  evident  that  the  men  were  wavering.  They  had 
come  there  with  the  law  behind  them,  but,  from  their 
youth  up,  some  following  visions  that  could  never  be 

70 


THE  INCENDIARY 

realized,  had  hated  the  bureaucrat,  and  the  rest,  crippled 
by  the  want  of  dollars,  had  fought  with  frost  and  drought 
and  hail.  It  was  also  plain  that  they  felt  the  capture  of 
the  incendiary  had  given  them  an  opportunity.  Then, 
when  a  word  would  have  turned  the  scale,  Grant  stood  up 
at  the  head  of  the  table,  very  resolute  in  face. 

"  I  still  move  a  negative  and  an  amendment,  boys,"  he 
said.  "  First,  though  that's  not  the  most  important,  be- 
cause IVe  a  natural  shrinking  from  butchering  an  un- 
armed man.  Secondly,  it  was  not  the  cattle-men  who  sent 
him,  but  one  of  them,  ^nd  just  because  he  meant  to  draw 
you  on  it  would  be  the  blamedest  bad  policy  to  humour 
him.  Would  Torrance,  or  Allonby,  or  the  others,  have 
done  this  thing?  They're  hard  men,  but  they  believe 
they're  right,  as  we  do,  and  they're  Americans.  Now  for 
the  third  reason :  when  Clavering  meant  to  burn  Muller's 
homestead,  he  struck  at  me,  guessing  that  some  of  you 
would  stand  behind  me.  He  knew  your  temper,  and  he'd 
have  laughed  at  us  as  hot-blooded  rabble — you  know 
how  he  can  do  it — when  he'd  put  us  in  the  wrong.  Well, 
this  time  we'll  give  the  law  a  show." 

There  was  discussion,  but  Larry  sat  still,  saying  noth- 
ing further,  with  a  curious  gravity  in  his  face,  until  a  man 
stood  up  again. 

"  We  think  you're  right,"  he  said.  "  Still,  there's  a 
question.     What  are  you  going  to  do  if  they  try  again  ?  " 

"  Strike,"  said  Larry  quietly.  **  I'll  go  with  you  to  the 
hanging  of  the  next  one." 

Nothing  more  was  said,  and  the  men  rode  away  with 
relief  in  their  faces,  though  three  of  them,  girt  with  rifle 
and  bandolier,  trotted  behind  the  wagon  in  which  the 
prisoner  sat. 


71 


VII 

LARRY   PROVES    INTRACTABLE 

It  was  some  little  time  after  her  arrival  at  Cedar  Range 
when  Miss  Torrance,  who  took  Flora  Schuyler  with  her, 
rode  out  across  the  prairie.  There  were  a  good  many 
things  she  desired  to  investigate  personally,  and,  though 
a  somewhat  independent  young  woman,  she  was  glad  that 
the  opportunity  of  informing  Torrance  of  her  intention 
was  not  afforded  her,  since  he  had  ridden  off  somewhere 
earlier  in  the  day.  It  also  happened  that  although  the 
days  were  growing  colder  she  arrayed  herself  fastidiously 
in  a  long,  light  skirt,  which  she  had  not  worn  since  she 
left  Cedar,  and  which  with  the  white  hat  that  matched  it 
became  her  better  than  the  conventional  riding  attire. 
Miss  Schuyler  naturally  noticed  this. 

"  Is  it  a  garden  party  we  are  going  to?  "  she  asked. 

Hetty  laughed.  "  We  may  meet  some  of  our  neigh- 
bours, and  after  staying  with  you  all  that  while  in  New 
York  I  don't  want  to  go  back  on  you.  I  had  the  thing 
specially  made  in  Chicago  for  riding  in." 

Miss  Schuyler  was  not  quite  satisfied,  but  she  made  no 
further  comment,  and  there  was  much  to  occupy  her  atten- 
tion. The  bleached  plain  was  bright  with  sunshine  and 
rolled  back  into  the  distance  under  an  arch  of  cloudless 
blue,  while  the  crisp,  clear  air  stirred  her  blood  like  an 
elixir.  They  swept  up  a  rise  and  down  it,  the  colour 
mantling  in  their  faces,  over  the  long  hollow,  and  up  a 
slope  again,  until,  as  the  white  grass  rolled  behind  her, 

72 


LARRY  PROVES  INTRACTABLE 

Flora  Schuyler  yielded  to  the  exhilaration  of  swift  mo- 
tion, and,  flinging  off  the  constraint  of  the  city,  rejoiced 
in  the  springy  rush  of  the  mettlesome  beast  beneath  her. 
Streaming  white  levels,  the  blue  of  the  sliding  sky,  the 
kiss  of  the  wind  on  her  hot  cheek,  and  the  roar  of  hoofs, 
all  reacted  upon  her  until  she  laughed  aloud  when  she 
hurled  her  half-wild  broncho  down  a  slope. 

"  This  is  surely  the  finest  country  in  the  world,"  she 
said. 

The  words  were  blown  behind  her,  but  Hetty  caught 
some  of  them,  and,  when  at  last  she  drew  bridle  where 
a  rise  ran  steep  and  seamed  with  badger-holes  against  the 
sky,  nodded  with  a  little  air  of  pride. 

*'  Oh,  yes,  and  it's  ours.  All  of  it,"  she  said.  "  Worth 
fighting  for,  isn't  it?  " 

Flora  Schuyler  laughed  a  little,  but  she  shook  her  head. 
**  It's  a  pity  one  couldn't  leave  that  out.  You  would  stay 
here  with  your  men  folk  if  there  was  trouble?  " 

Hetty  looked  at  her  with  a  little  flash  in  her  eyes. 
"  Why,  of  course !  It's  our  country.  We  made  it,  and 
I'd  go  around  in  rags  and  groom  the  boys'  horses  if  it 
would  help  them  to  whip  out  the  men  who  want  to  take 
it  from  us." 

Flora  Schuyler  smiled  a  trifle  drily.  "  The  trouble  is 
that  when  we  fall  out,  one  is  apt  to  find  as  good  Americans 
as  we  are,  and  sometimes  the  men  we  like  the  most,  stand- 
ing in  with  the  opposition.  It  has  happened  quite  often 
since  the  war." 

Hetty  shook  her  bridle  impatiently.  '^  Then,  of  course, 
one  would  not  like  them  any  longer,"  she  said. 

Nothing  more  was  said  until  they  crossed  the  ridge 
above  them,  when  Hetty  pulled  her  horse  up.  Across 
the  wide  levels  before  her  advanced  a  line  of  dusty  teams, 
the  sunlight  twinkling  on  the  great  breaker  ploughs  they 

73 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

hauled,  while  the  black  loam  rolled  in  softly  gleaming 
waves  behind  them.  They  came  on  with  slow  precision, 
and  in  the  forefront  rolled  a  great  machine  that  seamed 
and  rent  the  prairie  into  triple  furrows. 

"  What  are  they  doing  there  ?  Do  they  belong  to 
you?"  asked  Miss  Schuyler. 

The  flush  the  wind  had  brought  there  turned  to  a  deeper 
crimson  in  Hetty's  usually  colourless  face.  "To  us ! '' 
she  said,  and  her  voice  had  a  thrill  of  scorn.  **  They're 
homesteaders.  Ride  down.  I  want  to  see  who's  leading 
them.'' 

She  led  the  w^ay  with  one  little  gloved  hand  clenched  on 
the  dainty  switch  she  held;  but  before  she  reached  the 
foremost  team  the  man  who  pulled  it  up  sprang  down 
from  the  driving-seat  of  the  big  machine.  A  tall  wire 
fence,  with  a  notice  attached  to  it,  barred  his  way.  The 
other  ploughs  stopped  behind  him,  somebody  brought  an 
axe,  and  Hetty  set  her  lips  when  the  glistening  blade 
whirled  high  and  fell.  Thrice  it  flashed  in  the  sunlight, 
swung  by  sinewy  arms,  and  then,  as  the  fence  went  down, 
a  low,  half-articulate  cry  rose  from  the  waiting  men.  It 
was  not  exultant,  but  there  was  in  it  the  suggestion  of  a 
steadfast  purpose. 

Hetty  sat  still  and  looked  at  them,  a  little  sparkle  in  her 
dark  eyes,  and  a  crimson  spot  in  either  cheek,  while  the 
laces  that  hung  from  her  neck  across  the  bodice  of  the 
white  dress  rose  and  fell.  It  occurred  to  Flora  Schuyler 
that  she  had  never  seen  her  companion  look  half  so  well, 
and  she  waited  with  strained  expectancy  for  what  should 
follow,  realizing,  with  the  dramatic  instinct  most  women 
have,  who  the  man  with  the  axe  must  be.  He  turned 
slowly,  straightening  his  back  and  stood  for  a  moment 
erect  and  statuesque,  with  the  blue  shirt  open  at  his 
bronzed  neck  and  the  great  axe  gleaming  in  his  hand ;  and 

74 


LARRY  PROVES  INTRACTABLE 

Hetty  gasped.     Miss  Schuyler's  surmise  was  verified,  for 
it  was  Larry  Grant. 

''  Larry/'  said  her  companion,  and  her  voice  had  a 
curious  ring,  *'  what  are  you  doing  here?  " 

The  man,  who  appeared  to  ignore  the  question,  swung 
off  his  wide  hat.  ''  Aren't  you  and  Miss  Schuyler  rather 
far  from  home?  "  he  asked. 

Flora  Schuyler  understood  him  when,  glancing  round, 
she  noticed  the  figure  of  a  mounted  man  forced  up  against 
the  skyline  here  and  there.  Hetty,  however,  had  evi- 
dently not  seen  them. 

"  I  want  an  answer,  please,"  she  said. 

"  Well,"  said  Larry  gravely,  "  I  was  cutting  down  that 
fence." 

''Why  were  you  cutting  it  down?"  persisted  Miss 
Torrance. 

**  It  was  in  the  way." 

"Of  what?" 

Grant  turned  and  pointed  to  the  men,  sturdy  toilers 
starved  out  of  bleak  Dakota  and  axe-men  farmers  from 
the  forests  of  Michigan.  "  Of  these,  and  the  rest  who  are 
coming  by  and  by,"  he  said.  "  Still,  I  don't  want  to  go 
into  that;  and  you  seem  angry.  You  haven't  offered  to 
shake  hands  with  me,  Hetty." 

Miss  Torrance  sat  very  still,  one  hand  on  the  switch, 
and  another  on  the  bridle,  looking  at  him  with  a  little 
scornful  smile  on  her  lips.  Then  she  glanced  at  the 
prairie  beyond  the  severed  fence. 

''  That  land  belongs  to  my  friends,"  she  said. 

Grant's  face  grew  a  trifle  wistful,  but  his  voice  was 
grave.     "  They  have  had  the  use  of  it,  but  it  belongs  to  ^ 
the  United  States,  and  other  people  have  the  right  to  farm 
there  now.     Still,  that  needn't  make  any  trouble  between 
you  and  me." 

75 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"No?"  said  the  girl,  with  a  curious  hardness  in  her 
inflection ;  but  her  face  softened  suddenly.  "  Larry, 
while  you  only  talked  we  didn't  mind ;  but  no  one  fancied 
you  would  have  done  this.  Yes,  Fm  angry  with  you.  I 
have  been  home  'most  a  month,  and  you  never  rode  over 
to  see  me;  while  now  you  want  to  talk  politics.'' 

Grant  smiled  a  trifle  wearily.  "  I  would  sooner  talk 
about  anything  else;  and  if  you  ask  him,  your  father  will 
tell  you  why  I  have  not  been  to  the  range.  I  don't  want 
to  make  you  angry,  Hetty." 

"  Then  you  will  give  up  this  foolishness  and  make 
friends  with  us  again,"  said  the  girl.  Very  graciously.  "  It 
can't  come  to  anything,  Larry,  and  you  are  one  of  us. 
You  couldn't  want  to  take  away  our  land  and  give  it  to 
this  rabble?" 

Hetty  was  wholly  bewitching,  as  even  Flora  Schuyler, 
who  fancied  she  understood  the  grimness  in  the  man's 
face,  felt  just  then.  He,  however,  looked  away  across  the 
prairie,  and  the  movement  had  its  significance  to  one  of 
the  company,  who,  having  less  at  stake,  was  the  more  ob- 
servant. When  he  turned  again,  however,  he  seemed  to 
stand  very  straight. 

**  I'm  afraid  I  can't,"  he  said. 

"  No?  "  said  Hetty,  still  graciously.  "  Not  even  when 
I  ask  you  ?  " 

Grant  shook  his  head.  "  They  have  my  word,  and 
you  wouldn't  like  me  to  go  back  upon  what  I  feel  is 
right,"  he  said. 

Hetty  laughed.  "  If  you  will  think  a  little,  you  can't 
help  seeing  that  you  are  very  wrong." 

Again  the  little  weary  smile  crept  into  Grant's  face. 
"  One  naturally  thinks  a  good  deal  before  starting  in  with 
this  kind  of  thing,  and  I  have  to  go  through.  I  can't  stop 
now,  even  to  please  you.     But  can't  we  still  be  friends?  ^* 

76 


LARRY  PROVES  INTRACTABLE 

For  a  moment  there  was  astonishment  in  the  girl's  f  ace^ 
then  it  flushed,  and  as  her  lips  hardened  and  every  Hne  in 
her  sHght  figure  seemed  to  grow  rigid,  she  reminded  Miss 
Schuyler  of  the  autocrat  of  Cedar  Range. 

"  You  ask  me  that?  "  she  said.  "  You,  an  American, 
turning  Dutchmen  and  these  bush-choppers  loose  upon 
the  people  you  belong  to.  Can't  you  see  what  the  answer 
must  be  ? '' 

Grant  did  apparently,  for  he  mutely  bent  his  head ;  but 
there  was  a  shout  just  then,  and  when  one  of  the  vedettes 
on  the  skyline  suddenly  moved  forward  he  seized  Miss 
Torrance's  bridle  and  wheeled  her  horse. 

"  Ride  back  to  the  Range,"  he  said  sharply,  "  as 
straight  as  you  can.  Tell  your  father  that  you  met  me.. 
Let  your  horse  go.  Miss  Schuyler." 

As  he  spoke  he  brought  his  hand  down  upon  the  beast's 
flank  and  it  went  forward  with  a  bound.  The  one  Flora 
Schuyler  rode  flung  up  its  head,  and  in  another  moment 
they  were  sweeping  at  a  gallop  across  the  prairie.  A 
mile  had  been  left  behind  before  Hetty  could  pull  her  half- 
broken  horse  up ;  but  the  struggle  that  taxed  every  sinew 
had  been  beneficial,  and  she  laughed  a  trifle  breathlessly. 

"  I'm  afraid  I  lost  my  temper ;  and  I'm  angry  yet,"  she 
said.  "  It's  the  first  time  Larry  wouldn't  do  what  I  asked 
him,  and  it  was  mean  of  him  to  send  us  off  like  that,  just 
when  one  wanted  to  put  on  all  one's  dignity." 

Miss  Schuyler  appeared  thoughtful.  "  I  fancy  he  did 
it  because  it  was  necessary.  Didn't  it  strike  you  that  you 
were  hurting  him  ?  That  is  a  good  man  and  an  honest 
one,  though,  of  course,  he  may  be  mistaken." 

''  He  must  be,"  said  Hetty.  "  Now  I  used  to  think 
ever  so  much  of  Larry,  and  that  is  why  I  got  angry  with 
him.  It  isn't  nice  to  feel  one  has  been  fooled.  How  can 
he  be  good  when  he  wants  to  take  our  land  from  us  ?  " 

77 


THE   CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Flora  Schuyler  laughed.  ''  You  are  quite  delightful, 
Hetty,  now  and  then.  You  have  read  a  little,  and  been 
taught  history.     Can't  you  remember  any  ?  '' 

''  Oh  yes,"  said  Hetty,  with  a  little  thoughtful  nod. 
"  Still,  the  men  who  made  the  trouble  in  those  old  days 
w^ere  usually  buried  before  anyone  was  quite  sure  whether 
they  were  right  or  not.  Try  to  put  yourself  in  my  place. 
What  would  you  do  ?  '' 

There  was  a  somewhat  curious  look  in  Miss  Schuyler's 
blue  eyes.  "  I  think  if  I  had  known  a  man  like  that  one 
as  long  as  you  have  done,  I  should  believe  in  him — what- 
ever he  did." 

"  Weil,"  said  Hetty  gravely,  "  if  you  had,  just  as  long 
as  you  could  remember,  seen  your  father  and  his  friends 
taking  no  pleasure,  but  working  every  day,  and  putting 
most  of  every  dollar  they  made  back  into  the  ranch,  you 
would  find  it  quite  difficult  to  believe  that  the  man  who 
meant  to  take  it  from  them  now  they  were  getting  old 
and  wanted  to  rest  and  enjoy  what  they  had  worked  for 
was  doing  good." 

Flora  Schuyler  nodded.  "  Yes,"  she  said,  **  I  would. 
It's  quite  an  old  trouble.  There  are  two  w^ays  of  looking 
at  everything,  and  other  folks  have  had  to  worry  over 
them  right  back  to  the  beginning." 

Then  she  suddenly  tightened  her  grasp  on  the  bridle, 
for  the  ringing  of  a  rifle  rose,  sharp  and  portentous,  from 
beyond  the  rise.  The  colour  faded  in  her  cheek,  and 
Hetty  leaned  forward  a  trifle  in  her  saddle,  with  lips 
slightly  parted,  as  though  in  strained  expectancy.  No 
sound  now  reached  them  from  beyond  the  low,  white 
ridge  that  hemmed  in  their  vision  but  a  faint  drumming 
of  hoofs.  Then  Flora  Schuyler  answered  the  question 
in  her  companion's  eyes. 

'*  I  think  it  was  only  a  warning,"  she  said, 

78 


LARRY  PROVES  INTRACTABLE 

She  wheeled  her  horse  and  they  rode  on  slowly,  hearing 
nothing  further,  until  the  Range  rose  from  behind  the  big 
birch  bluff.  Torrance  had  returned  when  they  reached  it, 
and  Hetty  found  him  in  his  office  room. 

**  I  met  Larry  on  the  prairie,  and  of  course  I  talked  to 
him/'  she  said.  *'  I  asked  him  why  he  had  not  been  to 
the  Range,  and  he  seemed  to  think  it  would  be  better  if  he 
did  not  come." 

Torrance  smiled  drily.  "  Then  I  guess  he  showed 
quite  commendable  taste  as  well  as  good  sense.  You 
are  still  decided  not  to  go  back  to  New  York,  Hetty?  '' 

''  Yes,"  said  the  girl,  with  a  little  resolute  nod.  *'  You 
see,  I  can't  help  being  young  and  just  a  little  good-look- 
ing, but  I'm  Miss  Torrance  of  Cedar  all  the  time." 

Torrance's  face  was  usually  grim,  but  it  grew  a  trifle 
softer  then.  "  Hetty,"  he  said,  "  they  taught  you  a  good 
many  things  I  never  heard  of  at  that  Boston  school,  but 
I'm  not  sure  you  know  that  all  trade  and  industry  is  built 
upon  just  this  fact :  what  a  man  has  made  and  worked 
hard  for  is  his  own.  Would  anyone  put  up  houses  or 
raise  cattle  if  he  thought  his  neighbours  could  take  them 
from  him?  Now  there's  going  to  be  trouble  over  that 
question  here,  and,  though  it  isn't  likely,  your  father  may 
be  beaten  down.  He  may  have  to  do  things  that  wouldn't 
seem  quite  nice  to  a  dainty  young  woman,  and  folks  may 
denounce  him ;  but  it's  quite  plain  that  if  you  stay  here 
you  will  have  to  stand  in  with  somebody." 

The  girl,  who  was  touched  by  the  unusual  tenderness 
in  his  eyes,  sat  down  upon  the  table,  and  slipped  an  arm 
about  his  neck. 

"Who  would  I  stand  in  with  but  you?"  she  said. 
"  We'll  whip  the  rustlers  out  of  the  country,  and,  whether 
it  sounds  nice  at  the  time  or  not,  you  couldn't  do  anything 
but  the  square  thing." 

79 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Torrance  kissed  her  gravely,  but  he  sighed  and  his  face 
grew  stern  again  when  she  sHpped  out  of  the  room. 

"  There  will  not  be  many  who  will  come  through  this 
trouble  with  hands  quite  clean,"  he  said. 

It  was  during  the  afternoon,  and  Torrance  had  driven 
off  again,  when,  as  the  two  girls  were  sitting  in  the  little 
room  which  was  set  apart  for  them,  a  horseman  rode  up 
to  the  Range,  and  Flora  Schuyler,  who  was  nearest  the 
window,  drew  back  the  curtain. 

"  That  man  should  sit  on  horseback  always,''  she  said ; 
"  he's  quite  a  picture." 

Hetty  nodded.  "  Yes,"  she  said.  "  Still,  you  told  me 
you  didn't  like  him.  It's  Clavering.  Now,  I  wonder 
what  he  put  those  things  on  for — ^he  doesn't  w^ear  them 
very  often — ^and  whether  he  knew  my  father  wasn't 
here." 

Clavering  would  probably  have  attracted  the  attention 
of  most  young  women  just  then,  for  he  had  dressed  him- 
self in  the  fashion  the  prairie  stockriders  were  addicted 
to,  as  he  did  occasionally,  perhaps  because  he  knew  it 
suited  him.  He  had  artistic  perceptions,  and  could  adapt 
himself  harmoniously  to  his  surroundings,  and  he  knew 
Hetty's  appreciation  of  the  picturesque.  His  sallow  face 
showed  clean  cut  almost  to  feminine  refinement  under  the 
wide  hat,  and  the  blue  shirt  which  clung  about  him  dis- 
played his  slender  symmetry.  It  was,  however,  not  made 
of  flannel,  but  apparently  of  silk,  and  the  embroidered 
deerskin  jacket  which  showed  the  squareness  of  his  shoul- 
ders, was  not  only  daintily  wrought,  but  had  evidently 
cost  a  good  many  dollars.  His  loose  trousers  and  silver 
spurs  were  made  in  Mexican  fashion :  but  the  boldness  of 
the  dark  eyes,  and  the  pride  that  revealed  itself  in  the 
very  pose  of  the  man,  redeemed  him  from  any  taint  of 
vanity. 

80 


LARRY  PROVES  INTRACTABLE 

He  sat  still  until  a  hired  man  came  up,  then  swung  him- 
self from  the  saddle,  and  in  another  few  moments  had 
entered  the  room  with  his  wide  hat  in  his  hand. 

"  You  find  us  alone,"  said  Hetty.  "  Are  you  aston- 
ished?" 

**  I  am  content,"  said  Clavering.  "  Why  do  you  ask 
me?" 

**  Well,"  said  Hetty  naively,  "  I  fancied  you  must  have 
seen  my  father  on  the  prairie,  and  could  have  stopped  him 
if  you  had  wanted  to." 

There  was  a  little  flash  in  Clavering's  dark  eyes  that 
was  very  eloquent.  "  The  fact  is,  I  did.  Still,  I  was 
afraid  he  would  want  to  take  me  along  with  him." 

Hetty  laughed.  "  I  am  growing  up,"  she  said. 
"  Three  years  ago  you  wouldn't  have  wasted  those 
speeches  on  me.  Well,  you  can  sit  down  and  talk  to 
Flora." 

Clavering  did  as  he  was  bidden.  "  It's  a  time-hon- 
oured question,"  he  said.  *'  How  do  you  like  this  coun- 
try?" 

"  There's  something  in  its  bigness  that  gets  hold  of 
one,"  said  Miss  Schuyler.  *'  One  feels  free  out  here  on 
these  wide  levels  in  the  wind  and  sun." 

Clavering  nodded,  and  Flora  Schuyler  fancied  from  his 
alertness  that  he  had  been  waiting  for  an  opportunity. 
*'  It  would  be  wise  to  enjoy  it  while  you  can,"  he  said. 
"  In  another  year  or  two  the  freedom  may  be  gone,  and 
the  prairie  shut  ofif  in  little  squares  by  wire  fences.  Then 
one  will  be  permitted  to  ride  along  a  trail  between  rows 
of  squalid  homesteads  flanked  by  piles  of  old  boots  and 
provision-cans.  We  will  have  exchanged  the  stockrider 
for  the  slouching  farmer  with  a  swarm  of  unkempt  chil- 
dren and  a  slatternly,  scolding  wife  then." 

**  You  believe  that  will  come  about  ? "  asked  Miss 

8i 


THE   CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Schuyler,  giving  him  the  lead  she  felt  he  was  waiting 
for. 

Clavering  looked  thoughtful.  ''  It  would  never  come 
if  we  stood  loyally  together,  but — and  it  is  painful  to 
admit  it — one  or  two  of  our  people  seem  quite  willing  to 
destroy  their  friends  to  gain  cheap  popularity  by  truck- 
ling to  the  rabble.  Of  course,  we  could  spare  those  men 
quite  well,  but^they  know  our  weak  points,  and  can  do 
a  good  deal  of  harm  by  betraying  them." 

**  Now,"  said  Hetty,  with  a  sparkle  in  her  eyes,  *'  you 
know  quite  well  that  if  some  of  them  are  mistaken  they 
will  do  nothing  mean.  Can't  they  have  their  notions  and 
be  straight  men?  " 

"  It  is  quite  difficult  to  believe  it,"  said  Clavering.  ''  I 
will  tell  you  what  one  or  two  of  them  did.  There  was 
trouble  down  at  Gordon's  place  fifty  miles  west,  and  his 
cowboys  whipped  off  a  band  of  Dutchmen  who  wanted  to 
pull  his  fences  down.  Well,  they  came  back  a  night  or 
two  later  with  a  mob  of  Americans,  and  laid  hands  on  the 
homestead.  We  are  proud  of  the  respect  we  pay  women 
in  this  country,  Miss  Schuyler,  but  that  night  Mrs.  Gor- 
don's and  her  daughters'  rooms  were  broken  into,  and 
the  girls  turned  out  on  the  prairie.  It  w^as  raining,  and  I 
believe  they  were  not  even  allowed  to  provide  themselves 
with  suitable  clothing.  Of  course,  nothing  of  that  kind 
could  happen  here,  or  I  would  not  have  told  you." 

Hetty's  voice  was  curiously  quiet  as  she  asked,  **  Was 
nothing  done  to  provoke  them  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Clavering,  with  a  dry  smile,  "  Gordon 
shot  one  of  them ;  but  is  it  astonishing?  What  w^ould  you 
expect  of  an  American  if  a  horde  of  rabble  who  held 
nothing  sacred  poured  into  his  house  at  night?  Oh,  yes, 
he  shot  one  of  them,  and  would  have  given  them  the  mag- 
azine, only  that  somebody  felled  him  with  an  axe.    The 

82 


LARRY  PROVES  INTRACTABLE 

Dutchman  was  only  grazed,  but  Gordon  is  lying  senseless 
still." 

There  was  an  impressive  silence,  and  the  man  sat  still 
with  the  veins  on  his  forehead  a  trifle  swollen  and  a  glow 
in  his  eyes.  His  story  was  also  accurate,  so  far  as  it 
went;  but  he  had,  with  a  purpose,  not  told  the  whole 
of  it. 

"  You  are  sure  there  were  Americans  among  them  ? '' 
asked  Hetty,  very  quietly. 

"  They  were  led  by  Americans.  You  know  one  or  two 
of  them." 

"  No,"  said  Hetty,  almost  fiercely.  *'  I  don't  know. 
But  Larry  wasn't  there?  " 

Clavering  shook  his  head,  but  there  was  a  curious  inci- 
siveness  in  his  tone.  "  Still,  we  found  out  that  his  com- 
mittee was  consulted  and  countenanced  the  affair." 

"  Then  Larry  wasn't  at  the  meeting,"  said  Miss  Tor- 
rance.    "  He  couldn't  have  been." 

Clavering  made  her  a  little  and  very  graceful  inclina- 
tion.   "  One  would  respect  such  faith  as  yours." 

Miss  Schuyler,  who  was  a  young  woman  of  some  pene- 
tration, deftly  changed  the  topic,  and  Clavering  came  near 
to  pleasing  her,  but  he  did  not  quite  succeed,  before  he 
took  his  departure.  Then  Hetty  glanced  inquiringly  at 
her  companion. 

Flora  Schuyler  nodded.  "  I  know  just  what  you  mean, 
and  I  was  mistaken." 

"  Yes  ?  "  said  Hetty.     ''  Then  you  like  him  ?  " 

Miss  Schuyler  shook  her  head.  "  No.  I  fancied  he 
was  clever,  and  he  didn't  come  up  to  my  expectations. 
You  see,  he  was  too  obvious." 

**  About  Larry?" 

"  Yes.    Are  you  not  just  a  little  inconsistent,  Hetty?  " 

Miss  Torrance  laughed.     ''  I  don't  know,"  she  said. 

83 


THE  CATTLE-BARON^S  DAUGHTER 

"  I  am,  of  course,  quite  angry  with  Larry,  but  nobody  else 
has  a  right  to  abuse  him." 

Flora  Schuyler  said  nothing  further,  and  while  she  sat 
in  thoughtful  silence  Clavering  walked  down  the  hall 
with  Hetty's  maid.  He  was  a  well-favoured  man,  and 
the  girl  was  vain.  She  blushed  when  he  looked  down  on 
her  with  a  trace  of  admiration  in  his  smile. 

"  You  like  the  prairie?  "  he  said. 

She  admitted  that  she  was  pleased  with  what  she  had 
seen  of  it,  and  Clavering's  assumed  admiration  became 
bolder. 

"  Well,  it's  a  good  country,  and  different  from  the 
East,"  he  said.  "  There  are  a  good  many  more  dollars 
to  be  picked  up  here,  and  pretty  women  are  quite  scarce. 
They  usually  get  married  right  off  to  a  rancher.  Now  I 
guess  you  came  out  to  better  yourself.  It  takes  quite  a 
long  time  to  get  rich  down  East." 

The  girl  blushed  again,  and  when  she  informed  him 
that  she  had  a  crippled  sister  who  was  a  charge  on  the 
family,  Clavering  smiled  as  he  drew  on  a  leather  glove. 

"  You'll  find  you  have  struck  the  right  place,"  he  said. 
"  Now  I  wonder  if  you  could  fix  a  pin  or  something  in 
this  button  shank.     It's  coming  off,  you  see." 

The  girl  did  it,  and  when  he  went  out  found  a  bill 
lying  on  the  table  where  he  had  been  standing.  The 
value  of  it  somewhat  astonished  her,  but  after  a  little 
deliberation  she  put  it  in  her  pocket. 

"  If  he  doesn't  ask  for  it  when  he  comes  back  I'll  know 
he  meant  me  to  keep  it,"  she  said. 


84 


VIII 

THE   SHERIFF 

Miss  Schuyler  had  conjectured  correctly  respecting 
the  rifle-shot  which  announced  the  arrival  of  a  mes- 
senger; a  few  minutes  after  the  puff  of  white  smoke  on 
the  crest  of  the  rise  had  drifted  away,  a  mounted  man 
rode  up  to  Grant  at  a  gallop.  His  horse  was  white  with 
dust  and  spume,  but  his  spurs  were  red. 

"  Railroad  district  executive  sent  me  on  to  let  you 
know  the  Sheriff  had  lost  your  man,"  he  said. 

"  Lost  him,"  said  Grant. 

"  Well,"  said  the  horseman,  '*  put  it  as  it  pleases  you, 
but,  as  he  had  him  in  the  jail,  it  seems  quite  likely  he  let 
him  go." 

There  was  a  growl  from  the  teamsters  who  had  clus- 
tered round,  and  Grant's  face  grew  stern.  ^'  He  was  able 
to  hold  the  two  homesteaders  Clavering's  boys  brought 
him." 

**  Oh,  yes,"  said  the  other,  "  he  has  them  tight  enough. 
[You'll  remember  one  of  the  cattle-boys  and  a  storekeeper 
got  hurt  during  the  trouble,  and  our  men  are  not  going  to 
have  much  show  at  the  trial  Torrance  and  the  Sheriff 
are  fixing  up! " 

"  Then,"  said  Grant  wearily,  "  we'll  stop  that  trial. 
You  will  get  a  fresh  horse  in  my  stable  and  tell  your 
execi  tive  I'm  going  to  take  our  men  out  of  jail,  and  if  it 
suit.',  them  to  stand  in  they  can  meet  us  at  the  trail  forks, 
Thursday,  ten  at  night." 

85 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

The  man  nodded.  "  I'm  tolerably  played  out,  but  I'll 
start  back  right  now,"  he  said. 

He  rode  ofif  towards  the  homestead,  and  Grant  turned 
to  the  rest.  *' Jake,  you'll  take  the  eastern  round; 
Charley,  you'll  ride  west.  Give  them  the  handful  of  oats 
at  every  shanty  to  show  it's  urgent.  They're  to  be  at 
Fremont  in  riding  order  at  nine  to-morrow  night." 

In  another  ten  minutes  the  men  were  riding  hard  across 
the  prairie,  and  Grant,  with  a  sigh,  went  on  with  his 
ploughing.  It  would  be  next  year  before  he  could  sow, 
and  w^hether  he  would  ever  reap  the  crop  was  more  than 
any  man  in  that  region  would  have  ventured  to  predict. 
He  worked  however,  until  the  stars  were  out  that  night 
and  commenced  again  when  the  red  sun  crept  up  above 
the  prairie  rim  the  next  day ;  but  soon  after  dusk  mounted 
men  rode  up  one  by  one  to  Fremont  ranch.  They  rode 
good  horses,  and  each  carried  a  Winchester  rifle  slung 
behind  him  when  they  assembled,  silent  and  grim,  in  the 
big  living-room. 

^'  Boys,"  said  Grant  quietly,  "  we  have  borne  a  good 
deal,  and  tried  to  keep  the  law,  but  it  is  plain  that  the 
cattle-men,  who  bought  it  up,  have  left  none  for  us. 
Now,  the  Sheriff,  who  has  the  two  homesteaders  safe, 
has  let  the  man  we  sent  him  go." 

There  was  an  ominous  murmur  and  Grant  went  on. 
*^  The  homesteaders,  who  only  wanted  to  buy  food  and 
raised  no  trouble  until  they  were  fired  on,  will  be  tried 
by  the  cattle-men,  and  I  needn't  tell  you  what  kind  of 
chance  they'll  get.  We  pledged  ourselves  to  see  they  had 
fair  play  when  they  came  in,  and  there's  only  one  means 
of  getting  it.  We  are  going  to  take  them  from  the 
Sheriff,  but  there  will  be  no  fighting.  We'll  rice  in 
strong  enough  to  leave  no  use  for  that.  Now,  before  we 
start,  are  you  all  willing  to  ride  with  me  ?  " 

86 


THE  SHERIFF 

Again  a  hoarse  murmur  answered  him,  and  Grant, 
glancing  down  the  row  of  set  faces  under  the  big  lamps, 
was  satisfied. 

"  Then  we'll  have  supper,"  he  said  quietly.  ''  It  may 
be  a  long  while  before  any  of  us  gets  a  meal  again." 

It  was  a  silent  repast.  As  yet  the  homesteaders,  at 
least  in  that  district,  had  met  contumely  with  patience 
and  resisted  passively  each  attempt  to  dislodge  them, 
though  it  had  cost  their  leader  a  strenuous  effort  to  re- 
strain the  more  ardent  from  the  excesses  some  of  their 
comrades  farther  east  had  already  committed ;  but  at  last 
the  most  peaceful  of  them  felt  that  the  time  to  strike  in 
turn  had  come.  They  mounted  when  supper  was  over 
and  rode  in  silence  past  willow  bluff  and  dusky  rise  across 
the  desolate  w^aste.  The  badger  heard  the  jingle  of  their 
bridles,  and  now  and  then  a  lonely  coyote,  startled  by  the 
soft  drumming  of  the  hoofs,  rose  with  bristling  fur  and 
howled ;  but  no  cowboy  heard  their  passage,  or  saw  them 
wind  in  and  out  through  devious  hollows  when  daylight 
came.  Still,  here  and  there  an  anxious  woman  stood, 
with  hazy  eyes,  in  the  door  of  a  lonely  shanty,  wondering 
whether  the  man  she  had  sent  out  to  strike  for  the  home 
he  had  built  her  would  ever  ride  back  again.  For  they, 
too,  had  their  part  in  the  struggle,  and  it  was  perhaps  the 
hardest  one. 

It  was  late  at  night  when  they  rode  into  the  wooden 
town.  Here  and  there  a  window  was  flung  open ;  but  the 
night  was  thick  and  dark,  and  there  was  little  to  see  but 
the  dust  that  whirled  about  the  dimly  flitting  forms. 
That,  however,  was  nothing  unusual,  for  of  late  squad- 
rons of  stockriders  and  droves  of  weary  cattle  had  passed 
into  the  town ;  and  a  long  row  of  shadowy  frame  houses 
had  been  left  behind  before  the  fears  of  any  citizen  were 
aroused.    It  was,  perhaps,  their  silent  haste  that  betrayed 

87 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

the  horsemen,  for  they  rode  in  ordered  ranks  without  a 
word,  as  men  who  have  grim  business  in  hand,  until  a 
hoarse  shout  went  up.  Then  a  pistol  flashed  in  the  dark- 
ness in  front  of  them,  doors  were  flung  open,  lights  began 
to  blink,  and  a  half-seen  horseman  came  on  at  a  gallop 
down  the  shadowy  street.  He  pulled  his  horse  up  within 
a  pistol-shot  from  the  homesteaders,  and  sat  still  in  his 
saddle  staring  at  them. 

"  You'll  have  to  get  down,  boys,  or  tell  me  what  you 
want,"  he  said.  "  You  can't  ride  through  here  at  night 
without  a  permit/' 

There  was  a  little  ironical  laughter,  and  somebody 
asked,  "  Who's  going  to  stop  us  ?  " 

"  The  Sheriff's  guard,"  said  the  horseman.  "  Stop 
right  where  you  are  imtil  I  bring  them." 

"  Keep  clear,"  said  Grant  sternly,  "  or  we'll  ride  over 
you.     Forward,  boys !  " 

There  was  a  jingle  of  bridles,  and  the  other  man 
wheeled  his  horse  as  the  heels  went  home.  Quick  as  he 
was,  the  foremost  riders  were  almost  upon  him,  and  as  he 
went  down  the  street  at  a  gallop  the  wooden  houses  flung 
back  a  roar  of  hoofs.  Every  door  was  open  now  and  the 
citizens  peering  out.  Lights  flashed  in  the  windows,  and 
somebody  cried,  "  The  rustler  boys  are  coming!  " 

Other  voices  took  up  the  cry ;  hoots  of  derision  mingled 
with  shouts  of  greeting,  but  still,  without  an  answer,  the 
men  from  the  prairie  rode  on,  Grant  peering  into  the 
darkness  as  he  swung  in  his  saddle  at  the  head  of  them. 
He  saw  one  or  two  mounted  men  wheel  their  horses,  and 
more  on  foot  spring  clear  of  the  hoofs,  and  then  the 
flash  of  a  rifle  beneath  the  black  front  of  a  building.  A 
flagstaff  ran  up  into  the  night  above  it,  and  there  were 
shadowy  objects  upon  the  verandah.  Grant  threw  up  a 
hand. 

88 


THE  SHERIFF 

"  We're  here,  boys,"  he  said. 

Then  it  became  evident  that  every  man's  part  had  been 
allotted  him,  for  while  the  hindmost  wheeled  their  horses, 
and  then  sat  still,  with  rifles  across  their  saddles,  barring 
the  road  by  which  they  had  come,  the  foremost  pressed 
on,  until,  pulling  up,  they  left  a  space  behind  them  and 
commanded  the  street  in  front.  The  rest  dismounted, 
and  while  one  man  stood  at  the  heads  of  every  pair  of 
horses,  the  rest  clustered  round  Grant  in  the  middle  of  the 
open  space.  The  jail  rose  dark  and  silent  before  them, 
and  for  the  space  of  a  moment  or  two  there  was  an  im- 
pressive stillness.  It  was  broken  by  a  shout  from  one 
of  the  rearguard. 

"  There's  quite  a  crowd  rolling  up.  Get  through  as 
quick  as  you  can !  " 

Grant  stood  forward.  *'  We'll  give  you  half  a  minute 
to  send  somebody  out  to  talk  to  us,  and  then  we're  com- 
ing in,"  he  said. 

The  time  was  almost  up  before  a  voice  rose  from  the 
building:  "Who  are  you,  any  way,  and  what  do  you 
want?" 

"  Homesteaders,"  was  the  answer.  "  We  want  the 
Sheriff." 

"  Well,"  said  somebody,  "  I'll  tell  him." 

Except  for  a  growing  clamour  in  the  street  behind 
there  was  silence  until  Breckenridge,  who  stood  near 
Grant  touched  him, 

"  I  don't  want  to  meddle,  but  aren't  we  giving  them 
an  opportunity  of  securing  their  prisoners  or  making 
their  defences  good  ?  "  he  said. 

"  That's  sense,  any  way,"  said  another  man.  "  It 
would  be  'way  better  to  go  right  in  now,  while 
we  can." 

Grant  shook  his  head.     "  You  have  left  this  thing  to 

89 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

me,  and  I  want  to  put  it  through  without  losing  a  man. 
Men  don't  usually  back  down  when  the  shooting  begins/' 

Then  a  voice  rose  from  the  building:  "  You  wanted  the 
Sheriff.     Here  he  is." 

A  shadowy  figure  appeared  at  a  window,  and  there 
was  a  murmur  from  Grant's  men. 

"  He  needn't  be  bashful,"  said  one  of  them.  '*  No- 
body's going  to  hurt  him.  Can't  you  bring  a  light,  so 
we  can  see  him  ?  " 

A  burst  of  laughter  followed,  and  Grant  held  up  his 
hand.  "  It  would  be  better,  Sheriff ;  and  you  have  my 
word  that  we'll  give  you  notice  before  we  do  anything  if 
we  can't  come  to  terms." 

It  seemed  from  the  delay  that  the  Sheriff  was  unde- 
cided, but  at  last  a  light  was  brought,  and  the  men  below 
saw  him  standing  at  the  window  with  an  anxious  face, 
and  behind  him  two  men  with  rifles,  whose  dress  pro- 
claimed them  stockriders.  He  could  also  see  the  horse- 
men below,  as  Grant,  who  waited  until  the  sight  had  made 
its  due  impression,  had  intended  that  he  should.  There 
were  a  good  many  of  them,  and  the  effect  of  their  silence 
and  the  twinkling  of  light  on  their  rifles  was  greater  than 
that  of  any  uproar  would  have  been. 

'*  Now  you  can  see  me,  you  needn't  keep  me  waiting," 
said  the  Sheriff,  with  an  attempt  at  jauntiness  which  be- 
trayed his  anxiety.     "  What  do  you  want  ?  " 

"  Two  of  your  prisoners,"  said  Grant. 

"  Fm  sorry  you  can't  have  them,"  said  the  Sheriff. 
"Hadn't  you  better  ride  home  again  before  I  turn  the 
boys  loose  on  you  ?  " 

But  his  voice  was  not  quite  in  keeping  with  his  words, 
and  it  would  have  been  wiser  if  he  had  turned  his  face 
aside. 

''  It's  a  little  too  far  to  ride  back  without  getting  what 

90 


THE  SHERIFF 

we  came  for,"  said  Grant  quietly.  "  Now,  we  have  no 
great  use  for  talking.  We  want  two  homesteaders,  and 
we  mean  to  get  them ;  but  that  will  satisfy  us." 

"  You  want  nobody  else  ?  " 

"  No.  You  can  keep  your  criminals,  or  let  them  go, 
just  as  it  suits  you." 

There  was  a  laugh  from  some  of  the  horsemen,  which 
was  taken  up  by  the  crowd  and  swelled  into  a  storm  of 
cries.  Some  expressed  approval,  others  anger,  and  the 
Sheriff  stepped  backwards. 

^'  Then,"  he  said  hoarsely,  "  if  you  want  your  friends, 
you  must  take  them." 

The  next  moment  the  window  shut  with  a  bang,  and 
the  light  died  out,  leaving  the  building  once  more  in 
darkness. 

*'  Get  to  work,"  said  Grant.  "  Forward,  those  who 
are  going  to  cover  the  axe-men !  " 

There  was  a  flash  from  the  verandah,  apparently  in 
protest  and  without  intent  to  hurt,  for  the  next  moment 
a  few  half-seen  objects  flung  themselves  over  the  bal- 
ustrade as  the  men  with  the  axes  came  up,  and  others 
with  rifles  took  their  places  a  few  paces  behind  them. 
Then  one  of  the  horsemen  shouted  a  question. 

"  Let  them  pass,"  said  Grant. 

The  door  was  solid  and  braced  with  iron,  but  those  who 
assailed  it  had  swung  the  axe  since  they  had  the  strength  ^ 
to  lift  it,  and  in  the  hands  of  such  men  it  is  a  very  effective 
implement.  The  door  shook  and  rattled  as  the  great 
blades  whirled  and  fell,  each  one  dropping  into  the  notch 
the  other  had  made ;  the  men  panted  as  they  smote ;  the 
splinters  flew  in  showers. 

"  Holding  out  still!  "  gasped  one  of  them.  "  There's 
iron  here.  Get  some  of  the  boys  to  chop  that  redwood 
pillar,  and  we'll  drive  it  down." 

91 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

There  was  an  approving  murmur,  but  Grant  grasped 
the  man  by  the  shoulder.  "  No,"  he  said.  ^'  We  haven't 
come  to  v^reck  the  town.  Fve  another  plan  if  you're 
more  than  two  minutes  getting  in." 

The  axes  whirled  faster,  and  at  last  a  man  turned 
breathlessly.  "  Get  ready,  boys,"  he  said.  **  One  more 
on  the  bolt  head,  Jake,  and  we're  in  1 " 

A  brawny  man  twice  whirled  the  hissing  blade  about 
his  head,  and  as  he  swung  forward  with  both  hands  on 
the  haft  with  a  dull  crash  the  wedge  of  tempered  steel 
clove  the  softer  metal.  The  great  door  tilted  and  went 
down,  and  Breckenridge  sprang  past  the  axe-men 
through  the  opening.  His  voice  came  back  exultantly 
out  of  the  shadowy  building.  **  It  was  the  old  country 
sent  you  the  first  man  in !  " 

The  men's  answer  was  a  shout  as  they  followed  him, 
with  a  great  trampling  down  the  corridor,  but  the  rest 
of  the  building  was  very  silent,  and  nobody  disputed  their 
passage  until  at  last  a  man  with  grey  hair  appeared  with 
a  lantern  behind  an  iron  grille. 

''  Open  that  thing,"  said  somebody. 

The  man  smiled  drily.  **  I  couldn't  do  it  if  I  wanted 
to.     I've  given  my  keys  away." 

One  or  two  of  the  homesteaders  glanced  a  trifle  anx- 
iously behind  them.  The  corridor  was  filling  up,  and  it 
dawned  upon  them  that  if  anything  barred  their  egress 
they  would  be  helpless. 

"  Then  what  are  you  stopping  for?  "  asked  somebody. 

"  It's  in  my  contract,"  said  the  jailer  quietly.  **  I  was 
raised  in  Kentucky.  You  don't  figure  I'm  scared  of 
you?" 

"  No  use  for  talking,"  said  a  man.  "  You  can't  argue 
with  him.  Go  ahead  with  your  axes  and  beat  the  blamed 
thing  in." 

92 


THE  SHERIFF 

It  cost  them  twenty  minutes'  strenuous  toil;  but  the 
grille  went  down,  and  two  of  the  foremost  seized  the 
jailer. 

"  Let  him  go/'  said  Grant  quietly.  "  Now,  we  can't 
fool  time  away  with  you.     Where's  the  Sheriff  ?  " 

**  I  don't  quite  know,"  said  the  jailer,  and  the  contempt 
in  his  voice  answered  the  question. 

Grant  laughed  a  little.  "  Well,"  he  said,  "  I  guess  he's 
sensible.  Now,  what  you  have  got  to  do  is  to  bring  out 
the  two  homesteaders  as  quick  as  you  can." 

''  I  told  you  I  couldn't  do  it,"  said  the  other  man. 

"  You  listen  to  me.  We  are  going  to  take  those  men 
out,  if  we  have  to  pull  this  place  to  pieces  until  we  find 
them.  That,  it's  quite  plain,  would  let  the  others  go, 
and  you  would  lose  the  whole  of  your  prisoners  instead  of 
two  of  them.  Tell  us  where  you  put  them,  and  you  can 
keep  the  rest." 

'*  That's  square?" 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Grant.  "  There  are  quite  enough  men 
of  their  kind  loose  in  this  country  already." 

"  Straight  on,"  said  the  jailer.     ''  First  door." 

They  went  on  in  silence,  but  there  was  a  shout  when 
somebody  answered  their  questions  from  behind  a  door, 
which  a  few  minutes  later  tottered  and  fell  beneath  the 
axes.  Then,  amidst  acclamation,  they  led  two  men  out, 
and  showed  them  to  the  jailer. 

"  You  know  them?  "  said  Grant.  "  Well,  you  can  tell 
your  Sheriff  there  wasn't  a  cartridge  in  the  rifles  of  the 
men  who  opened  his  jail.  He'll  come  back  when  the 
trouble's  over,  but  it  seems  to  me  the  cattle-men  have 
wasted  a  pile  of  dollars  over  him." 

He  laughed  when  a  question  met  them  as  they  once 
more  trampled  into  the  verandah. 

"  Yes,"  he  said.     "  The  boys  are  bringing  them !  " 

93 


THE   CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Two  horses  were  led  forward,  and  the  released  men 
swung  themselves  into  the  saddle.  There  was  a  hasty- 
mounting,  and  when  the  men  swung  into  open  fours  a 
shout  went  up  from  the  surging  crowd. 

^'  They  have  taken  the  homesteaders  out.  The  Sheriff 
has  backed  down.'' 

A  roar  followed  that  expressed  approbation  and  dis- 
gust; it  was  evident  that  the  sympathies  of  the  citizens 
were  divided.  In  the  momentary  silence  Grant's  voice 
rang  out : 

*'  Sling  rifles !  Keep  your  order  and  distance !  For- 
ward, boys ! '' 

Again  a  hoarse  cry  went  up,  but  there  was  only  ap- 
plause in  it  now,  for  the  crowd  recognized  the  boldness 
of  the  command  and  opened  out,  pressing  back  against  the 
houses  as  the  little  band  rode  forward.  Their  silence 
was  impressive,  but  the  leader  knew  his  countrymen, 
for,  while  taunts  and  display  would  have  courted  an  on- 
set, nobody  seemed  anxious  to  obstruct  the  men  who  sat 
unconcernedly  in  their  saddles,  with  the  rifles  which  alone 
w^arranted  their  daring  disdainfully  slung  behind  them. 

On  they  went  past  clusters  of  wondering  citizens, 
shouting  sympathizers,  and  silent  cattle-men,  until  there 
was  a  hoot  of  derision,  and,  perhaps  in  the  hope  of  pro- 
voking a  conflict  in  which  the  rest  would  join,  a  knot  of 
men  pushed  out  into  the  street  from  the  verandah  of  the 
wooden  hotel.  Grant  realized  that  a  rash  blow  might 
unloose  a  storm  of  passion  and  rouse  to  fury  men  who 
were  already  regretting  their  supineness. 

**  Keep  your  pace  and  distance!  "  he  commanded. 

Looking  straight  in  front  of  them,  shadowy  and  silent, 
the  leading  four  rode  on,  and  once  more  the  crowd  melted 
from  in  front  of  them.     As  the  last  of  the  band  passed 

94 


THE  SHERIFF 

through  the  opening  that  was  made  for  them  a  man 
laughed  as  he  turned  in  his  saddle. 

''  We  can't  stay  any  longer,  boys,  but  it  wasn't  your 
fault.     It's  a  man  you  want  for  Sheriff,"  he  said. 

"  No  talking  there !  Gallop ! "  said  Grant,  and  the 
horsemen  flitted  across  the  railroad  track,  and  with  a 
^  sinking  thud  of  hoofs  melted  into  the  prairie.     They  had 

accomplished  their  purpose,  and  the  cattle-men,  going 
back  disgustedly  to  remonstrate  with  the  Sheriff,  for  a 
while  failed  to  find  him. 


95 


IX 

THE  PRISONER 

The  prairie  was  shining  white  in  the  moonlight  with 
the  first  frost  when  Torrance,  Hetty,  and  Miss  Schuyler 
drove  up  to  AUonby's  ranch.  They  were  late  in  arriving 
and  found  a  company  of  neighbours  already  assembled  in 
the  big  general  room.  It  was  panelled  with  cedar  from 
the  Pacific  slope,  and  about  the  doors  and  windows  were 
rich  hangings  of  tapestry,  but  the  dust  was  thick  upon 
them  and  their  beauty  had  been  wasted  by  the  moth. 
Tarnished  silver  candlesticks  and  lamps  which  might 
have  come  from  England  a  century  ago,  and  a  scarred 
piano  littered  with  tattered  music,  were  in  keeping  with 
the  tapestry ;  for  signs  of  taste  were  balanced  by  those  of 
neglect,  while  here  and  there  a  roughly  patched  piece 
of  furniture  conveyed  a  plainer  hint  that  dollars  were 
scanty  with  Allonby.  He  was  from  the  South,  a  spare, 
grey-haired  man,  with  a  stamp  of  old-fashioned  dignity, 
and  in  his  face  a  sadness  not  far  removed  from  apathy 
and  which,  perhaps,  accounted  for  the  condition  of  his 
property. 

His  guests,  among  whom  were  a  number  of  young 
men  and  women,  were,  however,  apparently  light- 
hearted,  and  had  whiled  away  an  hour  or  two  with  song 
and  badinage.  A  little  removed  from  them,  in  a  corner 
with  the  great  dusty  curtain  of  a  window  behind  her,  sat 
Hetty  Torrance  with  Allonby's  nephew  and  daughter. 
Miss  Allonby  was  pale  and  slight  and  silent;  but  her 

96 


THE  PRISONER 

cousin  united  the  vivacity  of  the  Northerner  with  the  dis- 
tinction that  is  still  common  in  the  South,  and — for  he 
was  very  young — Hetty  found  a  mischievous  pleasure  in 
noticing  his  almost  too  open  admiration  for  Flora  Schuy- 
ler, who  sat  close  beside  them.  A  girl  was  singing  in- 
differently, and  when  she  stopped,  Miss  AUonby  raised 
her  head  as  a  rhythmical  sound  became  audible  through 
the  closing  chords  of  the  piano. 

"  Somebody  riding  here  in  a  hurry !  "  she  said. 

It  was  significant  that  the  hum  of  voices  which  fol- 
lowed the  music  ceased  as  the  drumming  of  hoofs  grew 
louder ;  the  women  looked  anxious  and  the  men  glanced 
at  one  another.  Tidings  brought  in  haste  were  usually 
of  moment  then.  Torrance,  however,  stood  up  and 
smiled  at  the  assembly. 

"  I  guess  some  of  those  rascally  rustlers  have  been* 
driving  off  a  steer  again,"  he  said.    "  Can't  you  sing  us 
something,  Clavering?'' 

Clavering  understood  him,  and  it  was  a  rollicking 
ballad  he  trolled  out  with  verve  and  spirit;  but  still, 
though  none  of  the  guests  now  showed  it  openly,  the 
anxious  suspense  did  not  abate,  and  by  and  by  Miss  Al- 
lonby  smiled  at  the  lad  beside  her  somewhat  drily. 

"  Never  mind  the  story,  Chris.  I  guess  we  know  the 
rest.  That  man  is  riding  hard,  and  you  are  as  anxious 
as  any  of  us,"  she  said. 

A  minute  or  two  later  there  was  a  murmur  of  voices 
below,  and  Allonby  went  out.  Nobody  appeared  to 
notice  this,  but  the  hum  of  somewhat  meaningless  talk 
which  followed  and  the  strained  look  in  one  or  two  of 
the  women's  faces  had  its  meaning.  Every  eye  was 
turned  towards  the  doorway  until  Allonby  came  back 
and  spoke  with  Torrance  apart.  Then  he  smiled  re- 
assuringly upon  his  guests. 

97 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

'*  You  will  be  pleased  to  hear  that  some  of  our  com- 
rades have  laid  hands  upon  one  of  the  leaders  in  the 
attack  upon  the  jail,"  he  said.  'They  want  to  lodge  him 
here  until  they  can  send  for  the  Sheriff's  posse,  and  of 
course  I  could  only  agree.  Though  the  State  seems  bent 
on  treating  us  somewhat  meanly,  we  are,  I  believe,  still 
loyal  citizens,  and  I  feel  quite  sure  you  will  overlook  any 
trifling  inconvenience  the  arrival  of  the  prisoner  may 
cause  you." 

"  Doesn't  he  put  it  just  a  little  curiously?  "  suggested 
Flora  Schuyler. 

"  Well,"  said  Christopher  Allonby,  "  it  really  isn't  nice 
to  have  one  of  our  few  pleasant  evenings  spoiled  by  this 
kind  of  thing." 

"  You  don't  understand.  I  am  quite  pleased  with  your 
uncle,  but  there's  something  that  amuses  me  in  the  idea 
of  jailing  one's  adversary  from  patriotic  duty." 

Christopher  Allonby  smiled.  "  There's  a  good  deal 
of  human  nature  in  most  of  us,  and  it's  about  time  we  got 
even  with  one  or  two  of  them." 

"  Find  out  about  it,  Chris,"  said  Miss  Allonby ;  "  then 
come  straight  back  and  tell  us." 

The  young  man  approached  a  group  of  his  elders  who 
were  talking  together,  and  returned  by  and  by. 

"  It  was  done  quite  smartly,"  he  said.  "  One  of  the 
homestead  boys  who  Tiad  fallen  out  with  Larry  came  over 
to  us,  and  I  fancy  it  was  Clavering  fixed  the  thing  up  with 
him.  The  boys  didn't  know  he  had  deserted  them,  and 
the  man  he  took  the  oats  to  believed  in  him." 

"  I  can't  remember  you  telling  a  tale  so  one  could  un- 
derstand it,  Chris,"  said  Miss  Allonby.  **  Why  did  he 
take  the  oats  to  him  ?  " 

The  lad  laughed.  "  They  have  their  committees  and 
executives,  and  when  a  man  has  to  do  anything  they  send 

98 


THE  PRISONER 

a  few  grains  of  oats  to  him.  One  can't  see  much  use  in 
it,  and  we  know  'most  everything  about  them;  but  it 
makes  the  thing  kind  of  impressive,  and  the  rustler  fan- 
cied our  boy  was  square  when  he  got  them.  He  was  to 
ride  over  alone  and  meet  somebody  from  one  of  the  other 
executives  at  night  in  a  bluff.  He  went,  and  found  a 
band  of  cattle-boys  waiting  for  him.  I  believe  he  hadn't 
a  show  at  all,  for  the  man  who  went  up  to  talk  to  him 
grabbed  his  rifle,  but  it  seems  he  managed  to  damage  one 
or  two  of  them." 

"You  don't  know  who  he  is?"  asked  Miss  Allonby; 
and  Flora  Schuyler  noticed  a  sudden  intentness  in  Hetty's 
eyes. 

"  No,"  said  the  lad,  "  but  the  boys  will  be  here  with 
him  by  and  by,  and  I'm  glad  they  made  quite  sure  of  him, 
any  way." 

Hetty's  eyes  sparkled.  '*  You  can't  be  proud  of  them ! 
It  wasn't  very  American." 

"  Well,  we  can't  afford  to  be  too  particular,  consider- 
ing what  we  have  at  stake ;  though  it  might  have  sounded 
nicer  if  they  had  managed  it  differently.  You  don't 
sympathize  with  the  homestead  boys,  Miss  Torrance?  " 

"Of  course  not!"  said  Hetty,  with  a  little  impatient 
gesture.  "  Still,  that  kind  of  meanness  does  not  appeal 
to  me.  Even  the  men  we  don't  like  would  despise  it. 
They  rode  into  the  town  without  a  cartridge  in  their 
rifles,  and  took  out  their  friends  in  spite  of  the  Sheriff, 
while  the  crowd  looked  on." 

"  It  was  Larry  Grant  fixed  that,  and  'tisn't  every  day 
you  can  find  a  man  like  him.  It  'most  made  me  sick 
when  I  heard  he  had  gone  over  to  the  rabble." 

"  You  were  a  friend  of  his?  "  asked  Flora  Schuyler. 

"  Oh,  yes ;  "  and  a  little  shadow  crept  into  Allonby's 
face.     "  But,  that's  over  now.     When  a  man  goes  back 

99 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

on  his  own  folks  there's  only  one  way  of  treating  him, 
and  it's  not  going  to  be  nice  for  Larry  if  we  can  catch 
him.  We're  in  too  tight  a  place  to  show  the  man  who 
can  hurt  us  most  much  consideration." 

Hetty  turned  her  head  a  moment,  and  then  changed 
the  subject,  but  not  before  Flora  Schuyler  noticed  the 
little  flush  in  her  cheek.  The  music,  laughter,  and  gay 
talk  began  again,  and  if  anyone  remembered  that  while 
they  chased  their  cares  away  grim  men  who  desired  their 
downfall  toiled  and  planned,  no  sign  of  the  fact  was 
visible. 

Twenty  minutes  passed,  and  then  the  thud  of  hoofs 
once  more  rose  from  the  prairie.  It  swelled  into  a  drum- 
ming that  jarred  harsh  and  portentous  through  the  music, 
and  Hetty's  attention  to  the  observations  of  her  com- 
panions became  visibly  less  marked.  One  by  one  the 
voices  also  seemed  to  sink,  and  it  was  evidently  a  relief 
to  the  listeners  when  a  girl  rose  and  closed  the  piano. 
Somebody  made  an  effort  to  secure  attention  to  a  witty 
story,  and  there  was  general  laughter,  but  it  also  ceased, 
and  an  impressive  silence  followed.  Out  of  it  came  the 
jingle  of  bridles  and  trampling  of  hoofs,  as  the  men 
outside  pulled  up,  followed  by  voices  in  the  hall,  and 
once  more  Allonby  went  out. 

"  They're  right  under  this  window,"  said  his  nephew. 
"  Slip  quietly  behind  the  curtains,  and  I  think  you  can 
see  them." 

Flora  Schuyler  drew  the  tapestry  back,  the  rest  fol- 
lowed her  and  Christopher  Allonby  flung  it  behind  them, 
so  that  it  shut  out  the  light.  In  a  moment  or  two  their 
eyes  had  become  accustomed  to  the  change,  and  they 
saw  a  little  group  of  mounted  men  close  beneath.  Two 
of  them  dismounted,  and  appeared  to  be  speaking  to 
some  one  at  the  door,  but  the  rest  sat  with  their  rifles 

ICO 


THE  PRISONER 

across  their  saddles  and  a  prisoner  in  front  of  them. 
His  hat  was  crushed  and  battered,  liis  jacket  rent,  and 
Flora  Schuyler  fancied  there  was  a  red  trickle  down  his 
cheek;  but  his  face  was  turned  partly  away  from  the 
window,  and  he  sat  very  still,  apparently  with  his  arms 
bound  loosely  at  the  wrists. 

"  All  these  to  make  sure  of  one  man,  and  they  have 
tied  his  hands ! ''  she  said. 

Hetty  noticed  the  ring  in  her  companion's  voice,  and 
Allonby  made  a  little  deprecatory  gesture. 

"  It's  quite  evident  they  had  too  much  trouble  getting 
him  to  take  any  chances  of  losing  him,"  he  said.  "  I 
wish  the  fellow  would  turn  his  head.  I  fancy  I  should 
know  him.'' 

A  tremor  ran  through  Hetty  for  she  also  felt  she 
recognized  that  tattered  figure.  Then  one  of  the  horse- 
men seized  the  captive's  bridle,  and  the  man  made  a  slight 
indignant  gesture  as  the  jerk  flung  off  his  hands.  Flora 
Schuyler  closed  her  fingers  tight. 

''  If  I  were  a  man  I  should  go  down  and  talk  quite 
straight  to  them,"  she  said. 

The  prisoner  was  sitting  stiffly  now,  but  he  swayed  in 
the  saddle  when  one  of  the  cattle-men  struck  his  horse 
and  it  plunged.  He  turned  his  head  as  he  did  so,  and  the 
moonlight  shone  into  his  face.  It  was  very  white,  and 
there  was  a  red  smear  on  his  forehead.  Hetty  gasped, 
and  Flora  Schuyler  felt  her  fingers  close  almost  cruelly 
upon  her  arm. 

"  It's  Larry !  "  she  said. 

Christopher  Allonby  nodded.  "  Yes,  we  have  him  at 
last,"  he  said.  *^  Of  course,  one  feels  sorry;  but  he 
brought  it  on  himself.  They're  going  to  put  him  into 
the  stable." 

The  men  rode  forward,  and  when  they  passed  out  of 

roi 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

sight  Hetty'  slipped  back  from  behind  the  curtain,  and, 
sat  down,  shivering  as  she  looked  up  at  Miss  Schuyler. 

*'  I  can't  help  it,  Flo.  If  one  could  only  make  them  let 
him  go ! " 

"  You  need  not  let  any  of  them  see  it,"  said  Miss 
Schuyler,  sharply.  "Sit  quite  still  here  and  talk  to  me. 
Now,  what  right  had  those  men  to  arrest  him?  '' 

The  warning  was  sufficient.  Hetty  shook  out  her 
dress  and  laughed,  though  her  voice  was  not  steady. 

*'  It's  quite  simple,"  she  said.  **  The  Sheriff  can  call 
out  any  citizen  to  help  him  or  send  any  man  off  after  a 
criminal  in  an  emergency.  Of  course,  being  a  responsi- 
ble man  he  stands  in  with  us,  and  in  times  like  these  the 
arrAigement  suits  everybody.  We  do  what  seems  the 
right  thing,  and  the  Sheriff  is  quite  pleased  when  we  tell 
him." 

Flora  Schuyler  smiled  drily.  "  Yes.  It's  delightfully 
simple.  Still,  wouldn't  it  make  the  thing  more  square 
if  the  other  men  had  a  good-natured  Sheriff,  too?  " 

"  Now  you  are  laughing  at  me.  The  difference  is  that 
we  are  in  the  right." 

"  And  Larry,  of  course,  must  be  quite  wrong!  " 

"  No,"  said  Hetty,  **  he  is  mistaken.  Flo,  you  have 
got  to  help  me — I'm  going  to  do  something  for  him. 
Try  to  be  nice  to  Chris  Allonby.  They'll  send  him  to 
take  care  of  Larry." 

Miss  Schuyler  looked  steadily  at  her  companion. 
"  You  tried  to  make  me  believe  you  didn't  care  for  the 
man." 

A  flush  stole  into  Hetty's  cheek,  and  a  sparkle  to  her 
eyes.  "  Can't  you  do  a  nice  thing  without  asking  ques- 
tions? Larry  w^as  very  good  to  me  for  years,  and — I'm 
sorry  for  him.     Any  way,  it's  so  easy.     Chris  is  youngs 

I02 


THE  PRISONER 

and  you  could  fool  any  man  with  those  big  blue  eyes  if 
he  let  you  look  at  him/' 

Flora  Schuyler  made  a  half-impatient  gesture,  and 
then,  sweeping  her  dress  aside,  made  room  for  Christo- 
pher Allonby.  She  also  succeeded  so  well  with  him  that 
when  the  guests  had  departed  and  the  girls  came  out  into 
the  corral  where  he  was  pacing  up  and  down,  he  flung  his 
cigar  away  and  forsook  his  duty  to  join  them.  It  was  a 
long  ride  to  Cedar  Range,  and  Torrance  had  decided  to 
stay  with  Allonby  until  morning. 

''  It  was  very  hot  inside — they  would  put  so  much 
wood  in  the  stove,''  said  Hetty.  **  Besides,  Flo's  fond  of 
the  moonlight." 

^'  Well,''  said  Allonby,  "  it's  quite  nice  out  here,  and  I 
guess  Miss  Schuyler  ought  to  like  the  moonlight.  It's 
kind  to  her." 

Flora  Schuyler  laughed  as  they  walked  past  the  end 
of  the  great  wooden  stable  together.  *'  If  you  look  at  it 
in  one  sense,  that  wasn't  pretty.  You  are  guarding  the 
prisoner?" 

**  Yes,"  said  the  lad,  with  evident  diffidence.  "  The 
boys  who  brought  him  here  had  'bout  enough  of  him, 
and  they're  resting,  while  ours  are  out  on  the  range.  I'm 
here  for  two  hours  any  way.  It's  not  quite  pleasant  to 
remember  I'm  watching  Larry." 

''  Of  course !  "  and  Miss  Schuyler  nodded  sympatheti- 
cally. **  Now,  couldn't  you  just  let  us  talk  to  him  ?  The 
boys  have  cut  his  forehead,  and  Hetty  wanted  to  bring 
him  some  balsam.    I  believe  he  used  to  be  kind  to  her." 

Allonby  looked  doubtful,  but  Miss  Schuyler  glanced  at 
him  appealingly — and  she  knew  how  to  use  her  eyes — 
while  Hetty  said : 

"  Now,  don't  be  foolish,  Chris.  Of  course,  we  had 
just  to  ask  your  uncle,  but  he  would  have  wanted  to  come 

103 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

with  us  and  would  have  asked  so  many  questions,  while 
we  knew  you  would  tell  nobody  anything.  You  know  I 
can't  help  being  sorry  for  Larry,  and  he  has  done  quite 
a  few  nice  things  for  you,  too." 

"  Miss  Schuyler  is  going  with  you  ?  " 

"  Of  course/'  and  Hetty  smiled  mischievously  as  she 
glanced  at  her  companion.  ''  Still,  you  needn't  be 
jealous,  Chris.  I'll  take  the  best  care  she  doesn't  make 
love  to  him." 

Flora  Schuyler  looked  away  across  the  prairie,  which 
was  not  quite  what  one  would  have  expected  from  a 
young  woman  of  her  capacities ;  but  the  laughing  answer 
served  to  banish  the  lad's  suspicions,  and  he  walked  with 
them  towards  the  door.  Then  he  stopped,  and  when  he 
drew  a  key  from  an  inner  pocket  Hetty  saw  something 
twinkle  in  the  moonlight  at  his  belt. 

"  Chris,"  she  said,  "  stand  still  for  a  minute  and  shut 
your  eyes  quite  tight." 

The  lad  did  as  he  was  bidden,  for  a  few  years  ago  he 
had  been  the  complaisant  victim  of  Hetty's  pleasantries, 
and  felt  a  light  touch  on  his  lips.  Then,  there  was  a 
pluck  at  his  belt,  and  Hetty  was  several  yards  away  when 
he  made  a  step  forward  with  his  eyes  wide  open.  She 
was  laughing  at  him,  but  there  was  a  pistol  in  her 
hand. 

"  It  was  only  my  fingers,  Chris,  and  Flo  wasn't  the 
least  nearer  than  she  is  now,"  she  said.  "  If  you  dared 
to  think  anything  else,  you  would  make  me  too  angry. 
We'll  bring  this  thing  back  to  you  in  five  minutes,  but 
you  wouldn't  have  us  go  in  there  quite  defenceless.  Now 
you  walk  across  the  corral,  and  wait  until  we  tell 
you.'' 

Allonby  was  very  young,  and  somewhat  susceptible. 
Hetty  was  also  very  pretty,  and,  he  fancied^  Miss  Schuy- 

104 


THE  PRISONER 

ler  even  prettier  still ;  but  he  had  a  few  misgivings,  and 
when  they  went  in  closed  the  lower  half  of  the  door  and 
set  his  back  to  it. 

"  No/'  he  said  decisively,  ''  I'm  staying  right  here." 

The  girls  made  no  demur,  but  when  they  had  crossed 
a  portion  of  the  long  building  Miss  Schuyler  touched  her 
companion.  "  I'll  wait  where  I  am,"  she  said  drily,  "  you 
will  not  want  me." 

Hetty  went  on  until  she  came  to  where  the  light  of  a 
lantern  shone  faintly  in  a  stall.  A  man  sat  there  with 
his  hands  still  bound  and  a  wide  red  smear  upon  his  fore- 
head. His  face  flushed  suddenly  as  he  glanced  at  her, 
but  he  said  nothing. 

"  I'm  ever  so  sorry,  Larry,"  said  the  girl. 

The  man  smiled,  though  it  was  evident  to  Hetty,  whose 
heart  beat  fast,  that  it  was  only  by  an  effort  he  retained 
his  self-control. 

"  Well,'^  he  said,  "  it  can't  be  helped,  and  it  was  my 
fault.     Still,  I  never  suspected  that  kind  of  thing." 

Hetty  coloured.  "  Larry,  you  mustn't  be  bitter — but 
it  was  horribly  mean.  I  couldn't  help  coming — I  was 
afraid  you  would  fancy  I  was  proud  of  them." 

**  No,"  he  said,  sternly.  "  I  couldn't  have  fancied  that. 
There  was  nothing  else  ?  " 

**  Your  head.  It  is  horribly  cut.  We  saw  you  from 
the  window,  and  I  fancied  I  could  tie  it  up  for  you.  You 
wouldn't  mind  if  I  tried,  Larry?  I  have  some  balsam 
here,  and  I  only  want  a  little  water.'^ 

For  a  moment  Grant's  face  was  very  expressive,  but 
once  more  he  seemed  to  put  a  check  upon  himself,  and 
his  voice  was  almost  too  even  as  he  pointed  to  the  pitcher 
beside  him.  **  There  is  some  ready.  Your  friends  don't 
treat  their  prisoners  very  well." 

The  girl  winced  a  little,  but  dipping  her  handkerchief 

105 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

in  the  pitcher  she  laved  his  forehead,  and  then  would  have 
laid  the  dressing  on  it ;  but  he  caught  her  hand. 

"  No/'  he  said,  "  take  mine  instead." 

"  You  needn't  be  quite  too  horrid,  Larry,''  and  there 
was  a  quiver  in  her  voice.  "  It  wouldn't  hurt  you  very 
much  to  take  a  little  thing  like  that  from  me." 

Grant  smiled  very  gravely.  "  I  think  you  had  better 
take  mine.  If  they  found  a  lady's  handkerchief  round 
my  head,  Allonby's  folks  would  wonder  how  it  got 
there." 

Hetty  did  as  he  suggested,  and  felt  a  curious  chagrin 
when  he  failed  to  look  at  her.  "  I  used  to  wonder,  Larry, 
how  you  were  able  to  think  of  everything,"  she  said. 
"  Now  I  have  brought  you  something  else ;  but  you  must 
promise  not  to  hurt  anybody  belonging  to  Allonby 
with  it." 

Grant  laughed  softly,  partly  to  hide  his  astonishment, 
when  he  saw  a  pistol  laid  beside  him. 

"  I  haven't  grown  bloodthirsty,  Hetty,"  he  said. 
''Where  did  you  get  it?" 

**  It  was  Chris  Allonby's.  Flo  and  I  fooled  him  and 
took  it  away.  It  was  so  delightfully  easy.  But  you  will 
keep  it?  " 

He  shook  his  head.     '*  Just  try  to  think,  Hetty." 

Hetty's  cheeks  flushed.  "  You  are  horribly  unkind. 
Can't  you  take  anything  from  me?  Still — you — have 
got  to  think  now.  If  I  let  you  go,  you  will  promise  not 
to  make  any  more  trouble  for  my  father  and  Allonby,  or 
anybody  ?  " 

Grant  only  looked  at  her  with  an  odd  little  smile,  but 
the  crimson  grew  deeper  in  Hetty's  cheek.  "  Oh,  of 
course  you  couldn't.  I  was  sorry  the  last  time  I  asked 
you,"  she  said.  "Larry,  you  make  me  feel  horribly 
mean;  but  you  would  not  do  anything  that  would  hurt 
them,  unless  it  was  quite  necessary? '' 

io6 


THE  PRISONER 

'*  No/^  said  the  man  drily,  **  I  don't  think  I'm  going 
to  have  an  opportunity." 

"  You  are.  I  came  to  let  you  go.  It  will  be  quite  easy. 
Chris  is  quite  foolish  about  Flo." 

Grant  shook  his  head.  ''  Doesn't  it  strike  you  that  it 
would  be  very  rough  on  Chris  ?  " 

Hetty  would  not  look  at  him,  and  her  voice  was  very 
low.  "  If  anyone  must  be  hurt,  I  would  sooner  it  was 
Chris  than  you." 

He  did  not  answer  for  a  moment,  and  the  girl,  watch- 
ing him  in  sidelong  fashion,  saw  the  grim  restraint  in 
his  face,  which  grew  almost  grey  in  patches. 

"  It  is  no  use,  Hetty,"  he  said  very  quietly.  *'  Chris 
would  tell  them  nothing.  There  is  no  meanness  in  his 
father  or  him;  but  that  wouldn't  stop  him  thinking. 
Now,  you  will  know  I  was  right  to-morrow.  Take  him 
back  his  pistol." 

"  Larry,"  said  the  girl,  with  a  little  quiver  in  her 
voice,  "  you  are  right  again — I  don't  quite  know  why  you 
were  friends  with  me." 

Grant  smiled  at  her.  "  I  haven't  yet  seen  the  man 
who  was  fit  to  brush  the  dust  off  your  little  shoes;  but 
you  don't  look  at  these  things  quite  as  we  do.  Now 
Chris  will  be  getting  impatient.    You  must  go." 

Hetty  turned  away  from  him,  and  while  the  man  felt 
his  heart  throbbing  painfully  and  wondered  whether  his 
resolution  would  support  him  much  longer,  stood  very 
still  with  one  hand  clenched.  Then  she  moved  back 
towards  him  swiftly,  with  a  little  smile. 

"  There  is  a  window  above  the  beams,  where  they  pitch 
the  grain-bags  through,"  she  said.  "  Chris  will  go  away 
in  an  hour  or  so,  and  the  other  man  will  only  watch  the 
door.  There  are  horses  in  the  corral  behind  the  barn, 
and  I've  seen  you  ride  the  wickedest  broncho  without  a 
saddle." 

107 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

She  whisked  away  before  the  man,  who  felt  a  little, 
-almost  caressing,  touch  upon  his  arni  and  heard  some- 
thing drop  close  beside  him  with  a  rattle,  could  answer, 
and  in  less  than  a  minute  later  smiling  at  Chris  AUonby 
gave  him  back  his  pistol. 

**  Do  you  know  I  was  'most  afraid  you  were  going  to 
make  trouble  for  me  ?  ''  he  said. 

"  But  if  I  had  you  wouldn't  have  told." 

The  lad  coloured.  '*  You  have  known  me  quite  a 
long  time,  Hetty." 

Hetty  laughed,  but  there  was  a  thrill  in  her  voice  as 
she  turned  to  Miss  Schuyler.  "  Now,"  she  said,  "  you 
know  the  kind  of  men  we  raise  on  the  prairie." 

As  they  moved  away  together,  Flora  Schuyler  cast  a 
steady,  scrutinizing  glance  at  her  companion.  "  I  could 
have  told  you,  Hetty,"  she  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  Hetty,  with  a  little  nod.  ''  He  wouldn't 
go,  and  I  feel  so  mean  that  I'm  not  fit  to  talk  to  you  or 
anybody.  But  wait.  You'll  hear  something  before  to- 
morrow." 

It  was  not  quite  daylight  when  Miss  Schuyler  was 
awakened  by  a  murmur  of  voices  and  a  tramp  of  feet  on 
the  frozen  sod.  Almost  at  the  same  moment  the  door  of 
her  room  opened,  and  a  slim,  white  figure  glided  towards 
the  window.  Flora  Schuyler  stood  beside  it  in  another 
second  or  two,  and  felt  that  the  girl  whose  arm  she 
touched  was  trembling.  The  voices  below  grew  louder, 
and  they  could  see  two  men  come  running  from  the 
stable,  while  one  or  two  others  were  flinging  saddles  upon 
the  horses  brought  out  in  haste. 

"  He  must  have  got  away  an  hour  ago,"  said  some- 
body. ''  The  best  horse  Allonby  had  in  the  corral  isn't 
there  now." 

Then  Hetty  sat  down  laughing  excitedly,  and  let  her 

io8 


The  prisoner 

head  fall  back  on  Flora  Schuyler's  shoulder  when  she  felt 
the  warm  girdling  of  her  arm.  In  another  moment  she 
was  crying  and  gasping  painfully. 

''  He  has  got  away.  The  best  horse  in  the  corral  I 
Ten  times  as  many  of  them  couldn't  bring  him  back," 
she  said. 

"Hetty,"  said  Miss  Schuyler  decisively,  "you  are 
shivering  all  through.  Go  back  at  once.  He  is  all  right 
now." 

The  girl  gasped  again,  and  clung  closer  to  her  com- 
panion. "  Of  course,"  she  said.  "  You  don't  know 
Larry.  If  they  had  all  the  Cedar  boys,  too,  he  would 
ride  straight  through  them." 


tog 


X 

ON   THE  TRAIL 

Grant  and  Breckenridge  sat  together  over  their  eve- 
ning meal.  Outside  the  frost  was  almost  arctic,  but 
there  was  wood  in  plenty  round  Fremont  ranch,  and  the 
great  stove  diffused  a  stuffy  heat.  The  two  men  had 
made  the  round  of  the  small  homesteads  that  were  spring- 
ing up,  with  difficulty,  for  the  snow  was  too  loose  and 
powdery  to  bear  a  sleigh,  and  now  they  were  content 
to  lounge  in  the  tranquil  enjoyment  of  the  rest  and 
warmth  that  followed  exposure  to  the  stinging  frost. 

At  last  Breckenridge  pushed  his  plate  aside,  and  took 
out  his  pipe. 

"  You  must  have  put  a  good  many  dollars  into  your 
ploughing,  Larry,  and  the  few  I  had  have  gone  in  the 
same  way,"  he  said.  "  You  see,  it's  a  long  while  until 
harvest  comes  round,  and  a  good  many  unexpected  things 
seem  to  happen  in  this  country.  To  be  quite  straight,  is 
there  much  probability  of  our  getting  any  of  those  dol- 
lars back  ?  " 

Grant  smiled.  "  I  think  there  is,  though  I  can't  be 
sure.  The  legislature  must  do  something  for  us  sooner 
or  later,  while  the  fact  that  the  cattle-men  and  the  Sheriff 
have  left  us  alone  of  late  shows  that  they  don't  feel  too 
secure.  Still,  there  may  be  trouble.  A  good  many  hard 
cases  have  been  coming  in." 

"  The  cattle-men  would  get  them.  It's  dollars  they're 
wanting,  and  the  other  men  have  a  good  many  more  than 

no 


ON  THE  TRAIL 

we  have.  By  the  way,  shouldn't  the  man  with  the  money^ 
you  are  waiting  for  turn  up  to-night  ?  " 

Grant  nodded.  A  number  of  almost  indigent  men — 
small  farmers  ruined  by  frost  in  Dakota,  and  axe-men 
from  Michigan  with  growing  families — had  settled  on 
the  land  in  his  neighbourhood,  and  as  every  hand  and 
voice  might  be  wanted,  levies  had  been  made  on  the  richer 
homesteaders,  and  subscribed  to  here  and  there  in  the 
cities,  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  them  to  continue  the 
struggle. 

"  We  want  the  dollars  badly,"  he  said.  "  The  cattle- 
men have  cut  off  our  credit  at  the  railroad  stores,  and 
there  are  two  or  three  of  the  Englishmen  who  have  very 
little  left  to  eat  at  the  hollow.  You  have  seen  what  we 
have  sent  out  from  Fremont,  and  Muller  has  been  feeding 
quite  a  few  of  the  Dutchmen." 

He  stopped  abruptly,  and  Breckenridge  drew  back  his 
chair.     "  Hallo ! "  he  said.     "  You  heard  it,  Larry  ?  " 

Grant  had  heard  the  windows  jar,  and  a  sound  that  re- 
sembled a  faint  tap.  ^'  Yes,"  he  said  quietly.  "  I  may 
have  been  mistaken,  but  it  was  quite  like  a  rifle  shot." 

They  were  at  the  door  in  another  moment,  shivering  as 
the  bitter  cold  met  them  in  the  face ;  but  there  was  now 
no  sound  from  the  prairie,  which  rolled  away  before  them 
white  and  silent  under  the  moonlight.  Then,  Brecken- 
ridge flung  the  door  to,  and  crossed  over  to  the  rack 
where  a  Marlin  rifle  and  two  Winchesters  hung.  He 
pressed  back  the  magazine  slide  of  one  of  them,  and 
smiled  somewhat  grimly  at  Grant. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  we  can  only  hope  you're  wrong. 
Where  did  you  put  the  book  I  was  reading?  " 

Grant,  who  told  him,  took  out  some  accounts,  and  they 
lounged  in  big  hide  chairs  beside  the  stove  for  at  least 
half  an  hour,  though  it  was  significant  that  every  now  and 

III 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

then  one  of  them  would  turn  his  head  as  though  Hsten- 
ing,  and  become  suddenly  intent  upon  his  task  again 
when  he  fancied  his  companion  noticed  him.  At  last 
Breckenridge  laughed. 

'''It's  all  right,  Larry.  There — is — somebody  com- 
ing. It  will  be  the  man  with  dollars,  and  I  don't  mind 
admitting  that  I'll  be  glad  to  see  him." 

Five  minutes  later  the  door  opened  and  MuUer  came 
in.     He  looked  round  him  inquiringly. 

"  Quilter  is  not  come  ?  I  his  horse  in  der  stable  have 
not  seen,"  he  said. 

"  No,"  said  Grant  sharply.  "  He  would  pass  your 
place." 

Muller  nodded.  "  He  come  in  und  der  supper  take. 
Why  is  he  not  here?  I,  who  ride  by  der  hollow,  one 
hour  after  him  start  make." 

Breckenridge  glanced  at  Grant,  and  both  sat  silent  for 
a  second  or  two.  Then  the  former  said,  "  I'm  half 
afraid  we'll  have  to  do  without  those  dollars,  Mr.  Muller. 
Shall  I  go  round  and  roll  the  boys  up,  Larry?  " 

Grant  only  nodded,  and,  while  Breckenridge,  dragging 
on  his  fur  coat,  made  for  the  stable,  took  down  two  of 
the  rifles  and  handed  one  to  Muller. 

"  So !  "  said  the  Teuton  quietly.  "  We  der  trail  pick 
up?" 

In  less  than  five  minutes  the  two  were  riding  across  the 
prairie  towards  Muller's  homestead  at  the  fastest  pace 
attainable  in  the  loose,  dusty  snow,  while  Breckenridge 
rode  from  shanty  to  shanty  to  call  out  the  men  of  the 
little  community  which  had  grown  up  not  far  away.  It 
was  some  time  later  when  he  and  those  who  followed 
him  came  up  with  his  comrade  and  Muller.  The  moon 
still  hung  in  the  western  sky  and  show^ed  the  blue-grey 
smear  where  horse-hoofs  had  scattered  the  snow.     It 

112 


ON  THE  TRAIL 

led  straight  towards  a  birch  bluff  across  the  whitened 
prairie,  and  Breckenridge  stooped  in  his  saddle  and 
looked  at  it. 

"  Larry/'  he  said  sharply,  **  there  were  two  of  them." 

"  Yes,''  said  Grant.     "  Only  one  left  Muller's." 

Breckenridge  asked  nothing  further,  but  it  was  not  the 
first  time  that  night  he  felt  a  shiver  run  through  him. 
He  fell  behind,  but  he  heard  one  of  the  rest  answer  a 
question  Grant  put  to  him. 

"  Yes,"  he  said.  ^*  The  last  man  was  riding  a  good 
deal  harder  than  the  other  fellow." 

Then  there  was  silence,  save  for  the  soft  trampling  of 
hoofs,  and  Breckenridge  fancied  the  others  were  gazing 
expectantly  towards  the  shadowy  blurr  of  the  bluff,  which 
rose  a  trifle  clearer  now  against  the  skyline.  He  felt, 
with  instinctive  shrinking,  that  their  search  would  be  re- 
warded there  in  the  blackness  beneath  the  trees.  The 
pace  grew  faster.  Men  glanced  at  their  neighbours  now 
and  then  as  well  as  ahead,  and  Breckenridge  felt  the 
silence  grow  oppressive  as  the  bluff  rose  higher.  The 
snow  dulled  the  beat  of  hoofs,  and  the  flitting  figures  that 
rode  with  him  passed  on  almost  as  noiselessly  as  the  long 
black  shadows  that  followed  them.  His  heart  beat  faster 
than  usual  when,  as  they  reached  the  birches.  Grant 
raised  his  hand. 

"  Ride  wide  and  behind  me,"  he  said.  "  We're  going 
to  find  one  of  them  inside  of  five  minutes." 

There  was  an  occasional  crackle  as  a  rotten  twig  or 
branch  snapped  beneath  the  hoofs.  Slender  trees  slid 
athwart  the  moonlight,  closed  on  one  another,  and  opened 
out,  and  still,  though  the  snow  was  scanty  and  in  places 
swept  away.  Grant  and  a  big  Michigan  bushman  rode 
straight  on.  Breckenridge,  who  was  young,  felt  the  ten- 
sion grow  almost  unendurable.     At  last,  when  even  the 

"  113 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

horses  seemed  to  feel  their  masters'  uneasiness,  the  leader 
pulled  up,  and  with  a  floundering  of  hoofs  and  jingle  of 
bridles  the  line  of  shadowy  figures  came  to  a  standstill. 

"  Get  down,  boys,  and  light  the  lantern.  Quilter's 
here,"  he  said. 

Breckenridge  dismounting,  looped  his  bridle  round  a 
bough,  and  by  and  by  stood  peering  over  the  shoulders  of 
the  clustering  men  in  front  of  him.  The  moonlight 
shone  in  between  the  birches,  and  something  dusky  and 
rigid  lay  athwart  it  in  the  snow.  One  man  was  lighting 
a  lantern,  and  though  his  hands  were  mittened  he  seemed 
singularly  clumsy.  At  last,  however,  a  pale  light  blinked 
out,  and  under  it  Breckenridge  saw  a  white  face  and 
shadowy  head,  from  which  the  fur  cap  had  fallen. 

"  Yes,"  said  somebody,  with  a  suspicion  of  hoarseness, 
*'  that's  Quilter.  It's  not  going  to  be  much  use ;  but  you 
had  better  go  through  his  pockets,  Larry ! " 

Grant  knelt  down,  and  his  face  also  showed  colourless 
in  the  lantern  light  as,  with  the  help  of  another  man,  he 
gently  moved  the  rigid  form.  Then,  opening  the  big  fur- 
coat  he  laid  his  hand  on  a  brown  smear  on  the  deerskin 
jacket  under  it. 

"  One  shot,"  he  said.  "  Couldn't  have  been  more  than 
two  or  three  yards  off." 

"  Get  through,"  said  the  bushman  grimly.  "  The  man 
who  did  it  can't  have  more  than  an  hour's  start  of  us, 
any  way,  and  from  the  trail  he  left  his  horse  is  played 
out." 

In  a  minute  or  two  Grant  stood  up  with  a  little  shiver. 
"  You  have  got  to  bring  out  a  sledge  for  him  somehow, 
Muller,"  he  said.  "  Boys,  the  man  who  shot  him  has 
left  nothing,  and  the  instructions  from  our  other  execu- 
tives would  be  worth  more  to  the  cattle-men  than  a  good 
many  dollars." 

114 


A  WHITE  FACE  AND  SHADOWY  HEAD,   FROM  WHICH  THE 
FUR  CAP  HAD  FALLEN.— P^^^  114, 


ON  THE  TRAIL 

"  Well,"  said  the  big  bushman,  "  we're  going  to  get 
that  man  if  we  have  to  pull  down  Cedar  Range  or  Claver- 
ing's  place  before  we  do  it.  Here's  his  trail.  That  one 
was  made  by  Quilter's  horse." 

It  scarcely  seemed  appropriate,  and  the  whole  scene 
was  singularly  undramatic,  and  in  a  curious  fashion  al- 
most unimpressive;  but  Breckenridge,  who  came  of  a 
reticent  stock,  understood.  Unlike  the  Americans  of  the 
cities,  these  men  were  not  addicted  to  improving  the 
occasion,  and  only  a  slight  hardening  of  their  grim  faces 
suggested  what  they  felt.  They  were  almost  as  im- 
mobile in  the  faint  moonlight  as  that  frozen  one  with  the 
lantern  flickering  beside  it  in  the  snow.  Yet  Brecken- 
ridge long  afterwards  remembered  them. 

Two  men  went  back  with  Muller  and  the  rest  swung 
themselves  into  the  saddle,  and  reckless  of  the  risk  to 
beast  and  man  brushed  through  the  bluff.  Dry  twigs 
crackled  beneath  them,  rotten  bough  and  withered  bush 
went  down,  and  a  murmur  went  up  when  they  rode  out 
into  the  snow  again.  It  sounded  more  ominous  to 
Breckenridge  than  any  clamorous  shout.  Then,  bridles 
were  shaken  and  heels  went  home  as  somebody  found  the 
trail,  and  the  line  tailed  out  farther  and  farther  as  blood 
and  weight  began  to  tell.  The  men  were  riding  so 
fiercely  now,  that  a  squadron  of  United  States  cavalry 
would  scarcely  have  turned  them  from  the  trail.  Breck- 
enridge laughed  harshly  as  he  and  Grant  floundered 
down  into  a  hollow,  stirrup  by  stirrup  and  neck  to 
neck. 

"  I  should  be  very  sorry  for  any  of  the  cattle-boys  we 
came  upon  to-night,"  he  said. 

Grant  only  nodded,  and  just  then  a  shout  went  up  from 
the  head  of  the  straggling  line,  and  a  man  waved  his 
hand. 

"5 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  Heading  for  the  river!  "  he  said.  "  We'll  find  him 
in  the  timber.     He  can't  cross  the  ice." 

The  line  divided,  and  Grant  and  Breckenridge  rode  on 
with  the  smaller  portion,  while  the  rest  swung  wide  to 
the  right.  In  front  of  them  the  Cedar  flowed  through  its 
birch-lined  gully  as  yet  but  lightly  bound  with  ice,  and 
Breckenridge  guessed  that  the  men  who  had  left  them 
purposed  cutting  off  the  fugitive  from  the  bridge.  It 
was  long  before  the  first  dim  birches  rose  up  against 
the  sky,  and  the  white  wilderness  was  very  still  and 
the  frost  intense  when  they  floundered  into  the  gloom 
of  the  bluff  at  the  hour  that  man's  vitality  sinks  to  its 
lowest.  Every  crackle  of  a  brittle  branch  rang  with 
horrible  distinctness,  and  now  and  then  a  man  turned  in 
his  saddle  and  glanced  at  his  neighbour  when  from  the 
shadowy  hollow  beneath  them  rose  the  sound  of  rending 
ice.  The  stream  ran  fast  just  there,  and  there  had  been 
but  a  few  days'  frost. 

They  rode  at  a  venture,  looking  about  them  with 
strained  intentness,  for  they  had  left  the  guiding  trail 
behind  them  now.  Suddenly  a  faint  cry  came  out  of  the 
silence  followed  by  a  beat  of  hoofs  that  grew  louder 
every  second,  until  it  seemed  to  swell  into  a  roar.  Either 
there  was  clearer  ground  in  the  bluff,  or  the  rider  took 
his  chances  blindly  so  long  as  he  made  haste. 

The  men  spread  out  at  a  low  command,  and  Brecken- 
ridge smiled  mirthlessly  as  he  remembered  the  restrained 
eagerness  with  which  he  had  waited  outside  English 
covers  when  the  quarry  was  a  fox.  He  could  feel  his 
heart  thumping  furiously,  and  his  mittened  hands  would 
tremble  on  the  bridle.  It  seemed  that  the  fugitive  kept 
them  waiting  a  horribly  long  while. 

Then,  there  was  a  shout  close  by  him.  Grant's  horse 
shot  forward  and  he  saw  a  shadowy  object  flash  by 

ii6 


ON  THE  TRAIL 

amidst  the  trees*  Hand  and  heel  moved  together,  and 
the  former  grew  steady  again  as  he  felt  the  spring  of  the 
beast  under  him  and  the  bitter  draught  upon  his  cheek. 
His  horse  had  rested,  and  the  fugitive's  was  spent. 
Where  he  was  going  he  scarcely  noticed,  save  that  it 
was  down  hill,  for  the  birches  seemed  flying  up  to  him, 
and  the  beast  stumbled  now  and  then.  He  was  only  sure 
that  he  was  closing  with  the  flying  form  in  front  of  him. 

The  trees  grew  blurred  together;  he  had  to  lean  for- 
ward to  evade  the  thrashing  branches.  His  horse  was 
blundering  horribly,  the  slope  grew  steeper  still,  the 
ground  beneath  the  dusty  snow  and  fallen  leaves  was 
granite  hard ;  but  he  was  scarcely  a  length  away,  a  few 
paces  more  would  bring  him  level,  and  his  right  hand 
was  stretched  out  for  a  grip  of  the  stranger's  bridle. 

A  hoarse  shout  came  ringing  after  him,  and  Brecken- 
ridge  fancied  it  was  a  warning.  The  river  was  close  in 
front  and  only  thinly  frozen  yet,  but  he  drove  his  heels 
home  again.  If  the  fugitive  could  risk  the  passage  of 
the  ice,  he  could  risk  it,  too.  There  was  another  sound 
that  jarred  across  the  hammering  of  the  hoofs,  a  crash, 
and  Breckenridge  was  alone,  struggling  with  his  horse. 
They  reeled,  smashing  through  withered  bushes  and 
striking  slender  trees,  but  at  last  he  gained  the  mastery, 
and  swung  himself  down  from  the  saddle.  Already 
several  mounted  men  were  clustered  about  something, 
while  just  before  he  joined  them  there  was  another 
crash,  and  a  little  thin  smoke  drifted  among  the  trees. 
Then,  he  saw  one  of  them  snap  a  cartridge  out  of  his 
rifle,  and  that  a  horse  lay  quivering  at  his  feet.  A  man 
stood  beside  it,  and  Grant  was  speaking  to  him,  but 
Breckenridge  scarcely  recognized  his  voice. 

"  We  want  everything  you  took  from  Quilter,  the 
papers  first,"  he  said.     "  Light  that  lantern,  Jake,  and 

117 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

then  the  rest  stand  round.     I  want  you  to  notice  what 
he  gives  me." 

The  man,  saying  nothing,  handed  him  a  crumpled 
packet,  and  Grant,  tearing  it  open,  passed  the  cover  to  the 
rest. 

"  You  know  that  writing?  "  he  said. 

There  was  a  murmur  of  assent,  and  Grant  took  a  paper 
from  those  in  his  hand,  and  gave  it  to  a  man  who  held 
it  up  in  the  bhnking  Hght  of  the  lantern.  **  Now,"  he  said, 
"  we  want  to  make  sure  the  dollars  he  took  from  Quilter 
agree  with  it.    Hand  them  over." 

The  prisoner  took  a  wallet  from  his  pocket  and  passed 
it  across.  "  I  guess  there's  no  use  in  me  objecting. 
You'll  find  them  there,"  he  said. 

"  Count  them,"  said  Grant  to  the  other  man.  "  Twa 
of  you  look  over  his  shoulder  and  tell  me  if  he's  right." 

It  took  some  little  time,  for  the  man  passed  the  roll  of 
bills  to  a  comrade,  who,  after  turning  them  over,  replaced 
them  in  the  wallet. 

"  Yes,  that's  right,  boys ;  it's  quite  plain,  even  if  we 
hadn't  followed  up  his  trail.  Those  dollars  and  docu- 
ments  were  handed  Quilter." 

Grant  touched  Breckenridge.  "  Get  up  and  ride,"  he 
said.  "  They'll  send  us  six  men  from  each  of  the  twa 
committees.  We'll  be  waiting  for  them  at  Boston's  when 
they  get  there.  Now,  there's  just  another  thing.  Look 
at  the  magazine  of  that  fellow's  rifle." 

A  man  took  up  the  rifle,  and  snapped  out  the  cartridges 
into  his  hand.  "  Usual  44  Winchester.  One  of  them 
gone,"  he  said.  "  He  wouldn't  have  started  out  after 
Quilter  without  his  magazine  full." 

The  man  rubbed  the  fringe  of  his  deerskin  jacket  upon 
the  muzzle,  and  then  held  it  up  by  the  lantern  where  the 
rest  could  see  the  smear  of  the  fouling  upon  it. 

118 


ON  THE  TRAIL 

"  I  guess  that's  convincing,  but  we'll  bring  the  rifle 
along/'  he  said. 

Grant  nodded  and  turned  to  the  prisoner  as  a  man  led 
up  a  horse.  "  Get  up/'  he  said.  "  You'll  have  a  fair 
trial,  but  if  you  have  any  defence  to  make  you  had  better 
think  it  over.     You'll  walk  back  to  Hanson's,  Jake." 

The  prisoner  mounted,  and  they  slowly  rode  away  into 
the  darkness  which,  now  the  moon  had  sunk,  preceded 
the  coming  day. 

It  was  two  days  later  when  Breckenridge,  who  had 
ridden  a  long  way  in  the  meanwhile,  rejoined  them  at  a 
lonely  ranch  within  a  day's  journey  of  the  railroad. 
Twelve  men,  whose  bronzed  faces  showed  very  intent  and 
grave  under  the  light  of  the  big  lamp,  sat  round  the 
long  bare  room,  and  the  prisoner  at  the  foot  of  a  table. 
Grant  stood  at  the  head  of  it,  with  a  roll  of  dollar  bills 
and  a  rifle  in  front  of  him. 

^^  Now,"  he  said,  *'  you  have  heard  the  testimony. 
Have  you  anything  to  tell  us  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  the  prisoner,  "  I  guess  it  wouldn't  be 
much  use.  Hadn't  you  better  get  through  with  it?  I 
don't  like  a  fuss." 

Grant  signed  to  the  men,  who  silently  filed  out,  and 
returned  within  a  minute.  *'  The  thing's  quite  plain," 
said  one  of  them.     "  He  killed  Quilter." 

Grant  turned  to  the  prisoner.  "  There's  nothing  that 
would  warrant  our  showing  any  mercy,  but  if  you  have 
anything  to  urge  we'll  listen  now.  It's  your  last  oppor- 
tunity. You  were  heading  for  one  of  the  cattle-men's 
homesteads  ?  " 

The  man  smiled  sardonically.  "  I'm  not  going  to 
talk,"  he  said.  "  I  guess  I  can  see  your  faces,  and  that's 
enough  for  me/' 

Grant  stood  up  and  signed  to  a  man,  who  led  the 

119 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

prisoner  away.  Then,  he  looked  at  the  others  question- 
ingly,  and  a  Michigan  axe-man  nodded. 

'*  Only  one  thing,"  he  said.     '*  It  has  to  be  done." 

There  was  an  approving  murmur,  and  Grant  glanced 
along  the  row  of  stern  faces.  "  Yes,"  he  said,  "  the  law 
will  do  nothing  for  us — the  cattle-men  have  bought  it  up ; 
but  this  work  must  be  stopped.  Well,  I  guess  you  like 
what  lies  before  us  as  little  as  I  do,  but  if  it  warns  off 
the  others — and  there  are  more  of  his  kind  coming  in — 
it's  the  most  merciful  thing." 

Once  more  the  low  murmur  ran  through  the  silence 
of  the  room;  Grant  raised  his  hand  and  a  man  brought 
in  the  prisoner.  He  looked  at  the  set  faces,  and  made  a 
little  gesture  of  comprehension. 

**  I  guess  you  needn't  tell  me,"  he  said.  "  When  is  it 
to  be?" 

**  To-morrow,"  said  Grant,  and  it  seemed  to  Brecken- 
ridge  that  his  voice  came  from  far  away.  "  At  the  town 
— as  soon  as  there  is  light  enough  to  see  by." 

The  prisoner  turned  without  a  word,  and  when  he  had 
gone  the  men,  as  if  prompted  by  one  impulse,  hastened 
out  of  the  room,  leaving  Grant  and  Breckenridge  alone. 
The  former  sat  very  still  at  the  head  of  the  table,  until 
Breckenridge  laid  his  hand  on  his  shoulder. 

'*  Shake  it  off,  Larry.  You  couldn't  have  done  any- 
thing else,"  he  said. 

**  No,"  said  Grant,  with  a  groan.  *'  Still,  I  could  have 
wished  this  duty  had  not  been  laid  on  me." 

When  they  next  stood  side  by  side  the  early  daylight 
was  creeping  across  the  little  railroad  town,  and  Breck- 
enridge, whose  young  face  was  white,  shivered  with  more 
than  the  bitter  cold.  He  never  wished  to  recall  it,  but  the 
details  of  that  scene  would  return  to  him — the  square 
frame  houses  under  the  driving  snow-cloud,  the  white 

I20 


ON  THE  TRAIL 

waste  they  rose  from,  the  grim,  silent  horsemen  with  the 
rifles  across  their  saddles,  and  the  intent  faces  beyond 
them  in  the  close-packed  street.  He  saw  the  prisoner 
standing  rigidly  erect  in  a  wagon  drawn  up  beside  a 
towering  telegraph-pole,  and  heard  a  voice  reading 
hoarsely. 

A  man  raised  his  hand,  somebody  lashed  the  horses, 
the  wagon  lurched  away,  a  dusky  object  cut  against  the 
sky,  and  Breckenridge  turned  his  eyes  away.  A  sound 
that  might  have  been  a  groan  or  murmur  broke  from  the 
crowd  and  the  momentary  silence  that  followed  it  was 
rent  by  the  crackle  of  riflery.  After  that,  Breckenridge 
only  recollected  riding  across  the  prairie  amidst  a  group 
of  silent  men,  and  feeling  very  cold. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  citizens  were  gazing  at  a  board 
nailed  to  the  telegraph-pole :  "  For  murder  and  robbery. 
Take  warning!  Anyone  offending  in  the  same  way  will 
be  treated  similarly ! '' 


I2T 


XI 

LARRY^S  ACQUITTAL 

A  WARM  wind  from  the  Pacific,  which  had  swept  down 
through  the  Rockies'  passes,  had  mitigated  the  Arctic 
cold,  and  the  snow  lay  no  more  than  thinly  sprinkled 
upon  the  prairie.  Hetty  Torrance  and  Miss  Schuyler 
were  riding  up  through  the  birch  bluff  from  the  bridge  of 
the  Cedar.  It  was  dim  among  the  trees,  for  dusk  was 
closing  in,  the  trail  was  rough  and  steep,  and  Hetty  drew 
bridle  at  a  turn  of  it. 

^'  I  quite  fancied  we  would  have  been  home  before  it 
was  dark,  and  my  father  would  be  just  savage  if  he  knew 
we  were  out  alone,"  she  said.  *'  Of  course,  he  wouldn't 
have  let  us  go  if  he  had  been  at  Cedar.'' 

Flora  Schuyler  looked  about  her  with  a  shiver.  The 
wind  that  shook  the  birches  had  grown  perceptibly  colder : 
the  gloom  beneath  them  deepened  rapidly,  and  there  was 
a  doleful  wailing  amidst  the  swinging  boughs.  Beyond 
the  bluff  the  white  wilderness,  sinking  into  dimness 
now,  ran  back,  waste  and  empty,  to  the  horizon.  Miss 
Schuyler  was  from  the  cities,  and  the  loneliness  of  the 
prairie  is  most  impressive  when  night  is  closing  down. 

*'  Then  one  could  have  wished  he  had  been  at  home," 
she  said. 

Perhaps  Hetty  did  not  hear  her  plainly,  for  the 
branches  thrashed  above  them  just  then.  *'  Oh,  that's 
quite  right.  Folks  are  not  apt  to  worry  much  over  the 
things  they  don't  know  about,"  she  said. 

122 


LARRY'S  ACQUITTAL 

"  It  was  not  your  father  I  was  sorry  for/'  Flora  Schuy- 
ler said  sharply.  "The  sod  is  too  hard  for  fast  riding, 
and  it  will  be  'most  an  hour  yet  before  we  get  home.  I 
wish  we  were  not  alone,  Hetty." 

Hetty  sighed.  "  It  was  so  convenient  once !  "  she  said. 
"  Whenever  I  wanted  to  ride  out  I  had  only  to  send  for 
Larry.     It's  quite  different  now." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  Mr.  Clavering  would  have  come," 
said  Miss  Schuyler. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  Hetty  agreed.  "  Still,  I'm  beginning  to 
fancy  you  were  right  about  that  man.  Like  a  good  many 
more  of  them,  he's  quite  nice  at  a  distance ;  but  there  are 
men  who  should  never  let  anyone  get  too  close  to  them.'* 

"  You  have  had  quite  a  few  opportunities  of  observing 
him  at  a  short  distance  lately." 

Hetty  laughed,  but  there  was  a  trace  of  uneasiness  in 
her  voice.  "  I  could  wish  my  father  didn't  seem  quite 
so  fond  of  him.     Oh — there's  somebody  coming ! " 

Instinctively  she  wheeled  her  horse  into  the  deeper 
shadow  of  the  birches  and  Miss  Schuyler  followed. 
There  was  no  habitation  within  a  league  of  them,  and 
though  the  frost,  which  put  a  period  to  the  homesteaders' 
activities,  lessened  the  necessity  for  the  cattle-barons' 
watchfulness,  unpleasant  results  had  once  or  twice  at- 
tended a  chance  encounter  between  their  partisans.  It 
was  also  certain  that  somebody  was  coming,  and  Hetty 
felt  her  heart  beat  as  she  made  out  the  tramp  of  three 
horses.  The  vultures  the  struggle  had  attracted  had,  she 
knew,  much  less  consideration  for  women  than  the  home- 
steaders or  cattle-boys. 

"  Hadn't  we  better  ride  on  ?  "  asked  Miss  Schuyler. 

"  No,"  said  Hetty;  *'  they  would  most  certainly  see  us 
out  on  the  prairie.  Back  your  horse  quite  close  to  mine. 
If  we  keep  quiet  they  might  pass  us  here." 

123 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Her  voice  betrayed  what  she  was  feeUng,  and  Flora 
Schuyler  felt  unpleasantly  apprehensive  as  she  urged  her 
horse  farther  into  the  gloom.  The  trampling  came 
nearer,  and  by  and  by  a  man's  voice  reached  her. 

"  Hadn't  you  better  pull  up  and  get  down?  ''  it  said. 
"  Fm  not  much  use  at  tracking,  but  somebody  has  been 
along  here  a  little  while  ago.  You  see,  there  are  only 
three  of  us ! '' 

"  They're  homesteaders,  and  they've  found  our  trail," 
exclaimed  Hetty,  with  a  little  gasp  of  dismay. 

There  was  scarcely  an  opening  one  could  ride  through 
between  the  birches  behind  them,  and  it  was  evident  that 
the  horsemen  could  scarcely  fail  to  see  them  the  moment 
they  left  their  shelter.  One  of  them  had  already  dis- 
mounted, and  was  apparently  stooping  beside  the  prints 
the  horse-hoofs  had  left  where  a  little  snow  had  sifted 
down  upon  the  trail.  Hetty  heard  his  laugh,  and  it 
brought  her  a  great  relief. 

**  I  don't  think  you  need  worry,  Breckenridge.  There 
were  only  two  of  them." 

Hetty  wheeled  her  horse.    *'  It's  Larry,"  she  said. 

A  minute  later  he  saw  them,  and,  pulling  up,  took  off 
his  hat ;  but  Flora  Schuyler  noticed  that  he  ventured  on 
no  more  than  this. 

"  It  is  late  for  you  to  be  out  alone.  You  are  riding 
home  ?  "  he  said. 

*'  Of  course!  "  said  Hetty  with.  Miss  Schuyler  fancied, 
a  chilliness  which  contrasted  curiously  with  the  relief  she 
had  shown  a  minute  or  two  earlier. 

"  Well,"  said  Grant  quietly,  ''  I'm  afraid  you  will  have 
to  put  up  with  our  company.  There  are  one  or  two  men 
I  have  no  great  opinion  of  somewhere  about  this  prairie. 
This  is  Mr.  Breckenridge,  and  as  the  trail  is  rough  and 
narrow,  he  will  follow  with  Miss  Schuyler.     I  presume 

124 


LARRY'S  ACQUITTAL 

you  don't  mind  riding  with  him,  although,  like  the  rest 
of  us,  he  is  under  the  displeasure  of  your  friends  the 
cattle-barons  ?  " 

Miss  Schuyler  looked  at  him  steadily.  "  I  don't  know 
enough  of  this  trouble  to  make  sure  who  is  right,"  she 
said.  **  But  I  should  never  be  prejudiced  against  any 
American  who  was  trying  to  do  what  he  felt  was  the 
work  meant  for  him." 

"  Well,"  said  Grant,  with  a  little  laugh,  "  Breckenridge 
will  feel  sorry  that  he's  an  Englishman." 

Miss  Schuyler  turned  to  the  young  man  graciously, 
and  the  dim  light  showed  there  was  a  twinkle  in  her  eyes. 

*'  That,"  she  said,  *'  is  the  next  best  thing.  Since  you 
are  with  Mr.  Grant  you  no  doubt  came  out  to  this  country 
because  you  thought  we  needed  reforming,  Mr.  Breck- 
enridge? " 

The  lad  laughed  as  they  rode  on  up  the  trail  with 
Grant  and  Hetty  in  front  of  them,  and  Muller  following. 

"  No,"  he  said.  "  To  be  frank,  I  came  out  because  my 
friends  in  the  old  one  seemed  to  fancy  the  same  thing  of 
me.  When  they  have  no  great  use  for  a  young  man 
yonder,  they  generally  send  him  to  America.  In  fact, 
they  send  some  of  them  quite  a  nice  cheque  quarterly  so 
long  as  they  stay  there.  You  see,  we  are  like  the  hedge- 
hogs, or  your  porcupines,  if  you  grow  them  here.  Miss 
Schuyler." 

Flora  Schuyler  smiled.  "  You  are  young,  or  you 
wouldn't  empty  the  magazine  all  at  once  in  answer  to  a 
single  shot." 

"  Well,"  said  Breckenridge,  "  so  are  you.  It  is  getting 
dark,  but  I  have  a  notion  that  you  are  something  else 
too.     The  fact  I  mentioned  explains  the  liberty." 

Flora  shook  her  head.  ''  The  dusk  is  kind.  Any 
way,  I  know  I  am  years  older  than  you.     There  are  no 

125 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

little  girls  in  this  country  like  the  ones  you  have  been 
accustomed  to." 

*'  Now/'  said  Breckenridge,  **  my  sisters  and  cousins 
are,  I  firmly  believe,  a  good  deal  nicer  than  those  belong- 
ing to  most  other  men ;  but,  you  see,  I  have  quite  a  lot  of 
them,  and  any  one  so  favoured  loses  a  good  many  illu- 
sions/' 

In  the  meantime  Hetty,  w^ho,  when  she  fancied  he 
would  not  observe  it,  glanced  at  him  now  and  then,  rode 
silently  beside  Grant  until  he  turned  to  her. 

"  I  have  a  good  deal  to  thank  you  for,  Hetty,  and — 
for  you  know  I  was  never  clever  at  saying  the  right  thing 
— I  don't  quite  know  how  to  begin.  Still,  in  the  old 
times  we  understood  just  what  each  other  meant  so  well 
that  talking  wasn't  necessary.  You  know  I'm  grateful 
for  my  liberty  and  would  sooner  take  it  from  you  than 
anybody  else,  don't  you  ?" 

Hetty  laid  a  restraint  upon  herself,  for  there  was  a 
thrill  in  the  man's  voice,  which  awakened  a  response 
within  her.  "  Wouldn't  it  be  better  to  forget  those 
days  ?  "  she  said.    "  It  is  very  different  now." 

"  It  isn't  easy,"  said  Grant,  checking  a  sigh.  "  I 
'most  fancied  they  had  come  back  the  night  you  told  me 
how  to  get  away." 

Hetty's  horse  plunged  as  she  tightened  its  bridle  in  a 
fashion  there  was  no  apparent  necessity  for.  "  That," 
she  said  chillingly,  "  w^as  quite  foolish  of  you,  and  it 
isn't  kind  to  remind  folks  of  the  things  they  had  better 
not  have  done.  Now,  you  told  us  the  prairie  wasn't  safe 
because  of  some  of  your  friends." 

"  No,"  said  Grant  drily,  "  I  don't  think  I  did.  I  told 
you  there  were  some  men  around  I  would  sooner  you 
didn't  fall  in  with." 

"  Then  they  must  be  your  partisans.     There  isn't  a 

126 


LARRY'S  ACQUITTAL 

cattle-boy  in  this  country  who  would  be  uncivil  to  a 
woman." 

*'  I  wish  I  was  quite  sure.  Still,  there  are  men  coming 
in  who  don't  care  who  is  right,  and  only  want  to  stand 
in  with  the  men  who  will  give  them  the  most  dollars  or 
let  them  take  what  they  can.  We  have  none  to  give 
away." 

"  Larry,"  the  girl  said  hotly,  *'  do  you  mean  that  we 
would  be  glad  to  pay  them  ?  " 

"  No.  But  they  will  most  of  them  quite  naturally  go 
over  to  you,  which  will  make  it  harder  for  us  to  get  rid 
of  them.  We  have  no  use  for  men  of  that  kind  in  this 
country." 

"No?"  said  the  girl  scornfully.  **  Well,  I  fancied 
they  would  have  come  in  quite  handy — there  was  a  thing 
you  did." 

"You  heard  of  that?" 

"  Yes,"  very  coldly.     "  It  was  a  horrible  thing." 

Grant's  voice  changed  to  a  curious  low  tone.  "  Did 
you  ever  see  me  hurt  anything  when  I  could  help  it  in 
the  old  days,  Hetty?" 

"  No.  One  has  to  be  honest ;  I  remember  how  you 
once  hurt  your  hand  taking  a  jack-rabbit  out  of  a  trap." 

"  And  how  you  bound  it  up  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Hetty,  "  I  don't  know,  after  the  work 
you  have  done  with  it,  that  I  should  care  to  do  that 
now." 

"  There  are  affairs  you  should  never  hear  of  and  I 
don't  care  to  talk  about  with  you,"  Grant  said,  very 
quietly,  "  but  since  you  have  mentioned  this  one  you 
must  listen  to  me.  Just  as  it  is  one's  duty  to  give  no 
needless  pain  to  anything,  so  there  is  an  obligation  on 
him  to  stop  any  other  man  who  would  do  it.  Is  it 
wrong  to  kill  a  grizzly  or  a  rattlesnake,  or  merciful  to 

127 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

leave  them  with  their  meanness  to  destroy  whatever  they 
want?  Now,  if  you  had  known  a  quiet  American  who 
did  a  tolerably  dangerous  thing  because  he  fancied  it 
was  right,  and  found  him  shot  in  the  back,  and  the  trail 
of  the  man  who  crept  up  behind  him  and  killed  him  for  a 
few  dollars,  would  you  have  let  that  man  go?  " 

Hetty  ignored  the  question.  "  The  man  was  your 
friend." 

"  Well,"  said  Grant  slowly,  *'  he  had  done  a  good  deal 
for  me,  but  that  would  not  have  counted  for  very  much 
with  any  one  when  we  made  our  decision." 

"No?"  And  Hetty  glanced  at  him  with  a  little 
astonishment. 

Grant  shook  his  head.  "  No,"  he  said.  "  We  had  to 
do  the  square  thing — that  and  nothing  more;  but  if  we 
had  let  that  man  go,  he  would,  when  the  chance  was 
given  him,  have  done  what  he  did  again.  Well,  it  was — 
horrible;  but  there  was  no  law  that  would  do  the  work 
for  us  in  this  country  then." 

Hetty  shivered,  but  had  there  been  light  enough  Grant 
would  have  seen  the  relief  in  her  face,  and  as  it  was  his 
pulse  responded  to  the  little  quiver  in  her  voice.  Why  it 
was  she  did  not  know,  but  the  belief  in  him  which  she 
had  once  cherished  suddenly  returned  to  her.  In  the 
old  days  the  man  she  had  never  thought  of  as  a  lover 
could,  at  least,  do  no  wrong. 

"  I  understand."  Her  voice  was  very  gentle.  "  There 
must  be  a  good  deal  of  meanness  in  me,  or  I  should  have 
known  you  only  did  it  because  you  are  a  white  man,  and 
felt  you  had  to.  Oh,  of  course,  I  know — only  it's  so 
much  easier  to  go  round  another  way  so  you  can't  see 
what  you  don't  want  to.    Larry,  I'm  sorry." 

Grant's  voice  quivered.  "The  only  thing  you  ever 
ido  wrong,  Hetty,  is  to  forget  to  think  now  and  then; 

128 


LARRY'S  ACQUITTAL 

and  by  and  by  you  will  find  somebody  who  is  good 
enough  to  think  for  you." 

The  girl  smiled.  *'  He  would  have  to  be  very  patient, 
and  the  trouble  is  that  if  he  was  clever  enough  to  do  the 
thinking  he  wouldn't  have  the  least  belief  in  me.  You 
are  the  only  man,  Larry,  who  could  see  people's  mean- 
nesses and  still  have  faith  in  them." 

*'  I  am  a  blunderer  who  has  taken  up  a  contract  that's 
too  big  for  him,"  Grant  said  gravely.  "  I  have  never 
told  anyone  else,  Hetty,  but  there  are  times  now  and 
then  when,  knowing  the  kind  of  man  I  am,  I  get  'most 
sick  with  fear.  All  the  poor  men  in  this  district  are 
looking  to  me,  and,  though  I  lie  awake  at  night,  I  can't 
see  how  I'm  going  to  help  them  when  one  trace  of  pas- 
sion would  let  loose  anarchy.  It's  only  right  they're 
wanting,  that  is,  most  of  the  Dutchmen  and  the  Ameri- 
cans— but  there's  the  mad  red  rabble  behind  them,  and 
the  bitter  rage  of  hard  men  who  have  been  trampled  on, 
to  hold  in.  It's  a  crushing  weight  we  who  hold  the  reins 
have  got  to  carry.  Still,  we  were  made  only  plain  farmer 
men,  and  I  guess  we're  not  going  to  be  saddled  with 
more  than  we  can  bear." 

He  had  spoken  solemnly  from  the  depths  of  his  nature, 
and  all  that  was  good  in  the  girl  responded. 

"  Larry,"  she  said  softly,  "  while  you  feel  just  that  I 
think  you  can't  go  wrong.  It  is  what  is  right  we  are 
both  wanting,  and — though  I  don't  know  how — I  feel 
w^e  will  get  it  by  and  by,  and  then  it  will  be  the  best  thing 
for  homestead-boys  and  cattle-barons.  When  that  time 
comes  we  will  be  glad  there  were  white  men  who  took 
up  their  load  and  worried  through,  and  when  this  trou- 
ble's worked  out  and  over  there  will  be  nothing  to  stop 
us  being  good  friends  again." 

"  Is  that  quite  out  of  the  question  now?  " 

129 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  Yes/'  said  Hetty  simply.  **  I  am  sorry,  but,  Larry, 
can't  you  understand?  You  are  leading  the  homestead- 
boys,  and  my  father  the  cattle-barons.  First  of  all  I've 
got  to  be  a  dutiful  daughter." 

'*  Of  course,"  he  agreed.  '*  Well,  it  can't  last  for  ever, 
and  we  can  only  do  the  best  we  can.  Other  folks  had 
the  same  trouble  when  the  boys  in  Sumter  fired  the  start- 
ing gun — North  and  South  at  each  other's  throats,  and 
both  Americans !  " 

Hetty  decided  that  she  had  gone  sufficiently  far,  and 
turned  in  her  saddle.  "  What  is  the  Englishman  telling 
you,  Flo?"  she  asked. 

Miss  Schuyler  laughed.  "  He  was  almost  admitting 
that  the  girls  in  this  country  are  as  pretty  as  those  they 
raise  in  the  one  he  came  from." 

"  Well,"  said  Breckenridge,  "  if  it  was  daylight  I'd  be 
sure." 

Grant  fancied  that  it  was  not  without  a  purpose  his 
companion  checked  her  horse  to  let  the  others  come  up, 
and,  though  it  cost  him  an  effort,  acquiesced.  His  laugh 
was  almost  as  ready  as  that  of  the  rest  as  they  rode  on 
four  abreast,  until  at  last  the  lights  of  Cedar  Range 
blinked  beside  the  bluff.  Then,  they  grew  suddenly  silent 
again  as  Muller,  who  it  seemed  remembered  that  he  had 
been  taught  by  the  franc  tireurs,  rode  past  them  with  his 
rifle  across  his  saddle.  They  pulled  up  when  his  figure 
cut  blackly  against  the  sky  on  the  crest  of  a  rise,  and 
Hetty's  laugh  was  scarcely  light-hearted. 

'*  You  have  been  very  good,  and  I  am  sorry  I  can't  ask 
you  to  come  in,"  she  said.  "  Still,  I  don't  know  that  it's 
all  our  fault;  we  are  under  martial  law  just  now." 

Grant  took  off  his  hat  and  wheeled  his  horse,  and 
when  the  girls  rode  forward  sat  rigid  and  motionless, 
watching  them  until  he  saw  the  ray  from  the  open  door 

130 


LARRY'S  ACQUITTAL 

of  Cedar  Range.  Then,  MuUer  trotted  up,  and  with  a 
little  sigh  he  turned  homewards  across  the  prairie. 

About  the  same  time  Richard  Clavering  lay  smoking, 
in  a  big  chair  in  the  room  where  he  kept  his  business 
books  and  papers.  He  wore,  among  other  somewhat 
unusual  things,  a  velvet  jacket,  very  fine  linen,  and  on 
one  of  his  long,  slim  fingers  a  ring  of  curious  Eastern 
workmanship.  Clavering  was  a  man  of  somewhat  ex- 
pensive tastes,  and  his  occasional  visits  to  the  cities  had 
cost  him  a  good  deal,  which  was  partly  why  an  account- 
ant, famous  for  his  knowledge  of  ranching  property,  now 
sat  busy  at  a  table.  He  was  a  shrewd,  direct  American, 
and  had  already  spent  several  days  endeavouring  to  ascer- 
tain the  state  of  Clavering's  finances. 

"  Nearly  through?  ''  the  rancher  asked,  with  a  languid- 
ness  which  the  accountant  fancied  was  assumed. 

"  I  can  give  you  a  notion  of  how  you  stand,  right  now," 
he  answered.    "  You  want  me  to  be  quite  candid  ?  " 

'*  Oh,  yes,"  said  Clavering,  with  a  smile  of  indifference. 
"  Fm  in  a  tight  place,  Hopkins?  " 

"  I  guess  you  are — any  way,  if  you  go  on  as  you're 
doing.  You  see  what  I  consider  it  prudent  to  write  off 
the  value  of  your  property?  " 

Clavering  examined  the  paper  handed  him  with  visible 
astonishment.  ''  Why  have  you  whittled  so  much  off  the 
face  value?  " 

''  Just  because  you're  going  to  have  that  much  taken 
away  from  you  by  and  by." 

Clavering's  laugh  was  quietly  scornful.  "  By  the  home- 
stead-boys ?  " 

"  By  the  legislature  of  this  State.  The  law  is  against 
you  holding  what  you're  doing  now." 

"  We  make  what  law  there  is  out  here." 

"  Well,"  said  Hopkins,  coolly,  ''  I  guess  you're  not 

131 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

going  to  do  it  long.  You  know  the  maxim  about  fool- 
ing the  people.     It  can't  be  done." 

*'  Aren't  you  talking  like  one  .  of  those  German 
socialists  ?  " 

"  On  the  contrary.  I  quite  fancy  I'm  talking  like  a 
business  man.  Now,  you  want  to  realize  on  those  cattle 
before  the  winter  takes  the  flesh  off  them,  and  extinguish 
the  bank  loan  with  what  you  get  for  them." 

Clavering's  face  darkened.  "  That  would  strip  the 
place,  and  I'd  have  to  borrow  to  stock  again." 

"  You'd  have  to  run  a  light  stock  for  a  year  or  two." 

"  It  wouldn't  suit  me  to  do  anything  that  would  pro- 
claim my  poverty  just  now,"  said  Clavering. 

"  Then  you'll  have  to  do  it  by  and  by.  The  interest  on 
the  bond  is  crippling  you." 

"  Well."  Clavering  lighted  another  cigar.  "  I  told 
you  to  be  straight.  Go  right  on.  Tell  me  just  what  you 
would  do  if  the  place  was  in  your  hands." 

"  Sell  out  those  cattle  and  take  the  big  loan  up.  Clear 
off  the  imported  horses  and  pedigree  brood  mares.  You 
have  been  losing  more  dollars  than  many  a  small  rancher 
makes  over  them  the  last  few  years." 

"  I  like  good  horses  round  the  place,"  Clavering  said 
languidly. 

"  The  trouble,"  said  Hopkins,  "  is  that  you  can't  afford 
to  have  them.  Then,  I  would  cut  down  my  personal 
expenses  by  at  least  two-thirds.  The  ranch  can't  stand 
them.  Do  you  know  what  you  have  been  spending  in 
the  cities  ?  " 

"  No.  I  gave  you  a  bundle  of  bills  so  you  could  find 
It  out." 

Hopkins'  smile  was  almost  contemptuous.  "  I  guess 
you  had  better  burn  them  when  I  am  through.  I'll  men- 
tion one  or  two  items.    One  hundred  dollars  for  flowers ; 

132 


LARRY'S  ACQUITTAL 

one  thousand  in  several  bills  from  Chicago  jewellers! 
The  articles  would  count  as  an  asset.  Have  you  got 
them?" 

*'  I  haven't,"  said  Clavering.    "  They  were  for  a  lady." 

"Well,"  said  Hopkins,  '*  you  know  best;  but  one 
would  have  fancied  there  was  more  than  one  of  them 
from  the  bills.  Here's  another  somewhat  curious  item: 
hats — I  guess  they  came  from  Paris — and  millinery,  two 
hundred  dollars'  worth  of  them ! " 

A  little  angry  light  crept  into  Clavering's  eyes.  *'  If 
I  hadn't  been  so  abominably  careless  you  wouldn't  have 
seen  those  bills.  I  meant  to  put  them  down  as  miscel- 
laneous and  destroy  the  papers.  Well,  I've  done  with 
that  extravagance,  any  way,  and  it's  to  hear  the  truth 
I'm  paying  you  quite  a  big  fee.  If  I  go  on  just  as  I'm 
doing,  how  long  would  you  give  me?" 

"  Two  years.  Then  the  bank  will  put  the  screw  on 
you.  The  legislature  may  pull  you  up  earlier,  but  I  can 
tell  you  more  when  I've  squared  up  to-morrow." 

There  was  a  curious  look  in  Clavering's  dark  eyes,  but 
he  laughed  again. 

"  I  guess  that's  about  enough.  But  I'll  leave  you  to 
it  now,"  he  said.  *'  It's  quite  likely  I'll  have  got  out  of 
the  difficulty  before  one  of  those  years  is  over." 

He  went  out,  and  a  few  minutes  later  stopped  as  he 
passed  the  one  big  mirror  in  the  ranch,  and  surveyed 
himself  critically  for  a  moment  with  a  dispassionate 
interest  that  was  removed  from  vanity.  Then  he  nodded 
as  if  contented. 

"  With  Torrance  to  back  me  it  might  be  done,"  he 
said.  "  Liberty  is  sweet,  but  I  don't  know  that  it's  worth 
at  least  fifty  thousand  dollars !  " 


133 


XII 

THE   SPROUTING   OF   THE   SEED 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  a  bitter  day  Grant  drove  into 
sight  of  the  last  of  the  homesteaders'  dwelHngs  that  lay 
within  his  round.  It  rose,  a  shapeless  mound  of  white, 
from  the  wilderness  that  rolled  away  in  billowy  rises, 
shining  under  the  sunlight  that  had  no  warmth  in  it. 
The  snow  that  lay  deep  about  its  sod  walls  and  upon  the 
birch-branch  roof  hid  its  squalidness,  and  covered  the 
pile  of  refuse  and  empty  cans,  but  Grant  knew  what  he 
would  find  within  it,  and  when  he  pulled  up  his  team  his 
face  grew  anxious.  It  was  graver  than  it  had  been  a 
year  ago,  for  Larry  Grant  had  lost  a  good  deal  of  his 
hopefulness  since  he  heard  those  footsteps  at  the  depot. 

The  iron  winter,  that  was  but  lightly  felt  in  the  homes 
of  the  cattle-barons,  had  borne  hardly  on  the  men  hud- 
dled in  sod-hovel,  and  birch-log  shanty,  swept  by  the 
winds  of  heaven  at  fifty  degrees  below.  They  had  no 
thick  furs  to  shelter  them,  and  many  had  very  little 
food,  while  on  those  who  came  from  the  cities  the  cold 
of  the  Northwest  set  its  mark,  numbing  the  half-fed 
body  and  unhinging  the  mind.  The  lean  farmers  from 
the  Dakotas  who  had  fought  with  adverse  seasons,  and 
the  sinewy  axe-men  from  Michigan  clearings,  bore  it 
with  grim  patience,  but  there  were  here  and  there  a  few 
who  failed  to  stand  the  strain,  and,  listening  to  the  out- 
casts from  the  East,  let  passion  drive  out  fortitude  and 
dreamed  of  anarchy.     They  had  come  in  with  a  pitiful 

134 


THE  SPROUTING  OF  THE  SEED 

handful  of  dollars  to  build  new  homes  and  farm,  but  the 
rich  men,  and  in  some  cases  their  own  supineness,  had 
been  too  strong  for  them;  and  while  they  waited  their 
scanty  capital  melted  away.  Now,  with  most  of  them  it 
had  almost  gone,  and  they  were  left  without  the  means 
to  commence  the  fight  in  spring. 

Breckenridge  saw  the  shadow  in  Grant's  face,  and 
,  touched  his  arm.    "  111  go  in  and  give  the  man  his  dol- 
lars, Larry,"  he  said.     "  You  have  had  about  as  much 
worry  as  is  good  for  you  to-day." 

Grant  shook  his  head.  "  IVe  no  use  for  shutting  my 
eyes  so  I  can't  see  a  thing  when  I  know  it's  there." 

He  stepped  out  of  the  sleigh  and  went  into  the  shanty. 
The  place  had  one  room,  and,  though  a  stove  stood  in  the 
midst  of  it  and  the  snow  that  kept  some  of  the  frost  out 
was  piled  to  the  windows,  it  was  dank  and  chill.  Only  a 
little  dim  light  crept  in,  and  it  was  a  moment  or  two 
before  Grant  saw  the  man  who  sat  idle  by  the  stove  with 
a  clotted  bandage  round  his  leg.  He  was  gaunt,  and 
clad  in  jean  patched  with  flour-bags,  and  his  face  showed 
haggard  under  his  bronze.  Behind  him  on  a  rude  birch- 
branch  couch  covered  with  prairie  hay  a  woman  lay 
apparently  asleep  beneath  a  tattered  fur  coat. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  her  ?  "  Grant  asked. 

"  I  don't  quite  know.  She  got  sick  'most  two  weeks 
ago,  and  talks  of  a  pain  that  only  leaves  her  when  she's 
sleeping.  One  of  the  boys  drove  in  to  the  railroad  for 
the  doctor,  but  he's  busy  down  there.  Any  way,  it  would 
have  taken  him  'most  a  week  to  get  here  and  back,  and 
I  guess  he  knew  I  hadn't  the  dollars  to  pay  him  with." 

Grant  recognized  the  hopeless  evenness  of  the  tone, 
but  Breckenridge,  who  was  younger,  did  not. 

"  But  you  can't  let  her  lie  here  without  help  of  any 
kind,''  he  said. 

135 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  Well,"  said  the  man  slowly,  "  what  else  can  I  do?  " 

Breckenridge  could  not  tell  him,  and  appealed  to  his 
comrade.  "  We  have  got  to  take  this  up,  Larry.  She 
looks  ill." 

Grant  nodded.     "  I  have  friends  down  yonder  who 
will  send  that  doctor  out,"  he  said.     "  Here  are  your  dol-  , 
lars  from  the  fund.    Ten  of  them  this  time." 

The  man  handed  him  one  of  the  bills  back.  "  If  you 
want  me  to  take  more  than  five  you'll  have  to  show  your 
book,"  he  said.  "  I've  been  finding  out  how  you  work 
these  affairs,  Larry." 

Grant  only  laughed,  but  Breckenridge  turned  to  the 
speaker  with  an  assumption  of  severity  that  was  almost 
ludicrous  in  his  young  face. 

"  Now,  don't  you  make  yourself  a  consumed  ass,"  he 
said.  "  You  want  those  dollars  considerably  more  than 
we  do,  and  we've  got  quite  a  few  of  them  doing  nothing 
in  the  bank.     That  is,  Larry  has." 

Grant's  eyes  twinkled.  "  It's  no  use,  Breckenridge. 
I  know  the  kind  of  man  he  is.  I'm  going  to  send  Miss 
Muller  here,  and  we'll  come  round  and  pound  the  foolish- 
ness out  of  you  if  you  try  to  send  back  anything  she 
brings  with  her.  This  place  is  as  cold  as  an  ice-store. 
What's  the  matter  with  your  stove?  " 

"  The  stove's  all  right,"  and  the  man  pointed  to  his  leg. 
"  The  trouble  is  that  I've  very  little  wood.  Axe  slipped 
the  last  time  I  went  chopping  in  the  bluff,  and  the  frost 
got  into  the  cut.  I  couldn't  make  three  miles  on  one  leg, 
and  pack  a  load  of  billets  on  my  back." 

"  But  you'd  freeze  when  those  ran  out,  and  they 
couldn't  last  you  two  days,"  said  Breckenridge,  glancing 
at  the  little  pile  of  fuel. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  man  grimly.  "  I  guess  I  would,  unless 
one  of  the  boys  came  along." 

136 


THE  SPROUTING  OF  THE  SEED 

"  Anything  wrong  with  your  oxen  ?  "  asked  Grant. 

"  Well/'  said  the  man  drily,  "  we've  been  living  for 
'most  two  months  on  one  of  them.  I  salted  a  piece  of 
him ;  the  rest's  frozen.  I  had  to  sell  the  other  to  a  Dutch- 
man. Since  the  cattle-boys  stopped  me  ploughing  I 
hadn't  much  use  for  them,  any  way." 

"  Then,"  said  Breckenridge,  "  why  the  devil  did  you 
bring  a  woman  out  to  this  forsaken  country?  " 

Perhaps  the  man  understood  what  prompted  the  quesr- 
tion,  for  he  did  not  resent  it.  "  Where  was  I  to  take  her 
to  ?  I'm  a  farmer  without  dollars,  and  I  had  to  go  some- 
where when  I'd  lost  three  wheat  crops  in  Dakota.  Some- 
body told  me  you  had  room  for  small  farmers,  and  when 
I  heard  the  land  was  to  be  opened  for  homesteading,  I 
sold  out  everything,  and  came  on  here  to  begin  again. 
Never  saw  a  richer  soil,  and  there's  only  one  thing  wrong 
with  the  country." 

"  The  men  in  it  ?  "  asked  Breckenridge. 

The  farmer  nodded,  and  a  little  glow  crept  into  his 
eyes.  "  Yes,"  he  said  fiercely.  "  The  cattle-barons — 
and  there'll  be  no  room  for  anyone  until  we've  done 
away  with  them.  We've  no  patience  for  more  fooling. 
It  has  got  to  be  done." 

"  That's  the  executive's  business,"  said  Grant. 

The  man  rose,  with  a  little  quiver  of  his  lean  frame  and 
a  big  hand  clenched.  "  No,"  he  said,  "  it's  our  business, 
and  the  business  of  every  honest  citizen.  If  you  don't 
tackle  it  right  off,  other  men  will  put  the  contract 
through." 

"  You'll  have  to  talk  plainer,"  said  Grant. 

"  Well,"  said  the  farmer,  "  that's  easy.  It  was  you 
and  some  of  the  others  brought  us  in,  and  now  we're  here 
we're  starving.  There's  land  to  feed  a  host  of  us,  and 
every  citizen  is  entitled  to  enough  to  make  a  living  on. 

137 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

But  while  the  cattle-men  keep  hold,  how's  he  going  to 
get  it  ?  Oh,  yes,  weVe  cut  their  fences  and  broken  a  few 
acres  here  and  there ;  but  how  are  we  going  to  put  through 
our  ploughing  when  every  man  who  drives  a  furrow  has 
to  whip  up  six  of  his  neighbours  to  keep  the  cowboys  off 
him?  Well,  there's  just  one  answer.  We're  going  to 
pull  those  men  down." 

"  You're  going  to  sit  tight  until  your  leaders  tell  you 
to  move,"  Grant  informed  him. 

The  man  laughed  harshly.  "  No,"  he  said.  "  Unless 
they  keep  ahead  of  us  we're  going  to  trail  them  along. 
You're  a  straight  man,  Larry,  but  you  don't  see  all  you've 
done.  You  set  this  thing  going,  and  now  you  can't  step 
out  if  it  goes  too  far  for  you.  No,  sir,  you've  got  to 
keep  the  pace  and  come  along,  and  it's  going  to  be  quite 
lively  now  some  of  the  Chicago  anarchy  boys  are  chip- 
ping in." 

Grant's  face  was  very  stern.  "  When  they're  wanted, 
your  leaders  will  be  there,"  he  said.  "  They've  got  hold, 
and  they'll  keep  it,  if  they  have  to  whip  the  sense  into 
some  of  you.  Now  give  me  that  axe  of  yours,  and  we'll 
get  some  wood.  I  don't  want  to  hear  any  more  wild 
talking." 

He  went  out,  taking  Breckenridge  with  him,  and  an 
hour  later  returned  with  a  sleigh-load  of  birch  branches, 
which  he  flung  down  before  the  shanty.  Then,  he  turned 
the  team  towards  Fremont  ranch,  and  his  face  was  grave 
as  he  stared  over  the  horses'  heads  at  the  smear  of  trail 
that  wound  away,  a  blue-grey  riband,  before  the  gliding 
sleigh. 

"  I  wonder  if  that  fellow  meant  to  give  us  a  hint,"  said 
Breckenridge. 

Grant  nodded.  "  I  think  he  did — and  he  was  right 
about  the  rest.     Two  years  ago  I  was  a  prosperous 

138 


THE  SPROUTING  OF  THE  SEED 

rancher,  proud  of  the  prairie  I  belonged  to,  and  without 
a  care;  but  I  could  see  what  this  country  was  meant  to 
be,  and  when  the  others  started  talking  about  the  home- 
stead movement  I  did  my  share.  Folks  seemed  keen  to 
listen;  we  got  letters  from  everywhere,  and  we  told  the 
men  who  wrote  them  just  what  the  land  could  do.  It 
was  sowing  blindfold,  and  now  the  crop's  above  the  sod 
it  'most  frightens  me.  No  man  can  tell  what  it  will 
grow  to  be  before  it's  ready  for  the  binder,  and  while 
we've  got  the  wheat  we've  got  the  weeds  as  well." 

"  Wasn't  it  always  like  that  ?  At  least,  it  seems  so 
from  reading  a  little  history.  I  don't  know  that  I  envy 
you,  Larry.  In  the  tongue  of  this  country,  it's  a  hard 
row  you  have  to  hoe.  Of  course,  there  are  folks  who 
would  consider  they  had  done  enough  in  planting  it." 

"  Yes,"  Grant  agreed,  "  we  have  quite  a  few  of  them 
over  here ;  but,  if  more  than  we've  planted  has  come  up, 
I'm  going  right  through." 

Breckenridge  said  nothing  further,  and  there  was 
silence  until  the  lights  of  Fremont  rose  out  of  the  snowy 
wilderness.  When  they  reached  it  they  found  a  weary 
man  lying  in  a  big  chair ;  he  pointed  to  the  litter  of  plates 
on  the  table  as  he  handed  Grant  a  letter. 

"  I  haven't  eaten  since  sun  up,  and  drove  most  of  sixty 
miles,  so  I  didn't  wait,"  he  said.  "  Our  executive  boss, 
who  told  me  to  lose  no  time,  seemed  kind  of  worried 
about  something." 

Grant  opened  the  letter,  which  was  terse.  ''  Look  out," 
he  read.  "  We  had  to  put  the  screw  on  a  crazy  Pole  who 
has  been  making  wild  speeches  here,  and  as  he  lit  out  I 
have  a  notion  he  means  to  see  what  he  can  do  with  the 
discontented  in  your  district.  We  couldn't  have  him 
raising  trouble  round  this  place,  any  way.  It's  taking 
us  both  hands  to  hold  the  boys  in  already." 

139 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"Bad  news?''  said  Breckenridge  sympathetically. 

"  Yes,"  Grant  said  wearily.  "  Get  your  supper  and 
-sleep  when  you  can.  You'll  be  driving  from  sun  up 
until  after  it's  dark  to-morrow." 

They  ate  almost  in  silence,  but,  though  the  messenger 
and  Breckenridge  retired  shortly  after  the  meal,  Grant 
sat  writing  until  late  in  the  night.  Then,  he  stretched  his 
arms  wearily  above  his  head,  and  his  face  showed  worn 
and  almost  haggard  in  the  flickering  lamplight. 

'*  It  has  put  Hetty  further  from  me  than  ever,  and 
•cost  me  the  good-will  of  every  friend  I  had;  while  the 
five  thousand  dollars  I've  lost  as  well  don't  count  for 
very  much  after  that,"  he  said. 

Early  next  morning  Breckenridge  and  the  messenger 
drove  away,  and  rather  more  than  a  week  later  Frau- 
lein  Muller,  whom  the  former  had  taken  to  attend  on 
the  homesteader's  wife,  arrived  one  night  at  Fremont 
ranch.  She  came  in,  red-cheeked,  unconcerned,  and 
shapeless,  in  Muller's  fur  coat,  and  quietly  brushed  the 
dusty  snow  from  her  dress  before  she  sat  down  as  far  as 
possible  from  the  stove. 

**  I  a  message  from  Mrs.  Harper  bring,"  she  said. 
"  Last  night  two  men  to  Harper's  house  have  come,  and 
one  now  and  then  will  to  the  other  talk  in  our  tongue.  He 
is  one,  I  think,  who  will  destroy  everything.  Then  they 
talk  with  Harper  long  in  the  stable,  and  to-day  Harper 
wath  his  rifle  rides  away.  Mrs.  Harper,  who  has  fears 
for  her  husband,  would  have  you  know  that  to-night,  or 
to-morrow  he  will  go  with  other  men  to  the  Cedar 
Ranch." 

Grant  was  on  his  feet  in  a  moment,  and  nodded  to. 
Breckenridge,  who  rose  almost  as  quickly  and  glanced  at 
him  as  he  moved  towards  the  door. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  there's  some  tough  hoeing  to  be 
done  now.    You'll  drive  Miss  Muller  back  to  Harper's, 

140 


THE  SPROUTING  OF  THE  SEED 

and  then  turn  out  the  boys.    They're  to  come  on  to  Cedar 
as  fast  as  they  can." 

"  And  you?  "  said  Breckenridge  quietly. 

"  Vm  going  there  now." 

"  You  know  the  cattle-men  would  do  almost  anything" 
to  get  their  hands  on  you." 

"  Oh,  yes/'  Grant  said  wearily.  "  Aren't  you  wasting* 
time?" 

Breckenridge  was  outside  the  next  moment,  but  before* 
he  had  the  sleigh  ready  Grant  lead  a  saddled  horse  out 
of  the  stable,  and  vanished  at  a  gallop  down  the  beaten 
trail.  It  rang  dully  beneath  the  hoofs,  but  the  frost  that 
had  turned  its  surface  dusty  lessened  the  chance  of  stum- 
bling, and  it  was  not  until  the  first  league  had  been  left 
behind  and  he  turned  at  the  forking  beneath  a  big  birch 
bluff  that  he  tightened  his  grip  on  the  bridle.  There  it 
was  different,  for  the  trail  no  longer  led  wide  and 
trampled  hard  across  the  level  prairie,  but  wound,  an' 
almost  invisible  riband,  through  tortuous  hollow  and 
over  swelling  rise,  so  narrow  that  in  places  the  hoofs 
broke  with  a  sharp  crackling  through  the  frozen  crust  of 
snow.  That,  Larry  knew,  might,  by  crippling  the  beast 
he  rode,  stop  him  then  and  there,  and  he  pushed  on 
warily,  dazzled  at  times  by  the  light  of  the  sinking  moon 
which  the  glistening  white  plain  flung  back  into  his  eyes. 

It  was  bitter  cold,  and  utterly  still  for  the  birds  had 
gone  south  long  ago,  and  there  was  no  beast  that  ven- . 
tured  from  his  lair  to  face  the  frost  that  night.  Dulled 
as  the  trample  of  hoofs  was,  it  rang  about  him  stridently, 
and  now  and  then  he  could  hear  it  roll  repeated  along 
the  slope  of  a  rise.  The  hand  upon  the  bridle  had  lost 
all  sense  of  feeling,  his  moccasined  feet  tingled  painfully,, 
and  a  white  fringe  crackled  under  his  hand  when,  warned 
by  the  nipping  of  his  ears,  he  drew  the  big  fur  cap  down 

141 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

further  over  them.  It  is  not  difficult  to  lose  the  use  of 
one's  members  for  life  by  incautiously  exposing  them  to 
the  cold  of  the  prairie,  while  a  frost  that  may  be  borne 
by  the  man  covered  to  the  chin  with  great  sleigh  robes, 
is  not  infrequently  insupportable  to  the  one  on  horseback. 

Grant,  however,  took  precautions,  as  it  were  mechan- 
1  ically,  for  his  mind  was  too  busy  to  feel  in  its  full  keen- 
ness the  sting  of  the  frost,  and  while  his  eyes  were  fixed 
on  the  blur  of  the  trail  his  thoughts  were  far  away,  and 
it  was  by  an  almost  unconscious  effort  he  restrained  the 
impatient  horse.  Because  speed  was  essential,  he  dare 
risk  no  undue  haste.  He  was  not  the  only  rider  out  on 
the  waste  that  night,  and  the  shiver  that  went  through 
him  was  not  due  to  the  cold  as  he  pictured  the  other 
horsemen  pressing  on  towards  Cedar  Ranch.  Of  the 
native-born  he  had  little  fear,  and  he  fancied  but  few  of 
them  would  be  there.  There  was  even  less  to  dread  from 
any  of  English  birth,  but  he  feared  the  insensate  alien, 
and  still  more  the  human  vultures  that  had  gathered  about 
the  scene  of  strife.  They  had  neither  race,  nor  creed, 
nor  aspirations,  but  only  an  unhallowed  lust  for  the  fruits 
of  rapine. 

He  could  also  picture  Hetty,  sitting  slight  and  dark- 
eyed  at  the  piano,  as  he  had  often  seen  her,  and  Torrance 
listening  with  a  curious  softening  of  his  lean  face  to  the 
voice  that  had  long  ago  wiled  Larry's  heart  away  from 
him.  That  led  him  back  to  the  days  when,  loose-tressed 
and  flushed  in  face,  Hetty  had  ridden  beside  him  in  the 
track  of  the  flying  coyote,  and  he  had  seen  her  eyes 
glisten  at  his  praise.  There  were  other  times  when, 
sitting  far  apart  from  any  of  their  kind,  with  the  horses 
tethered  beside  them  in  the  shadow  of  a  bluff,  she  had 
told  him  of  her  hopes  and  ambitions,  but  half-formed 
then,  and  to  silence  his  doubts  sung  him  some  simple 

142 


THE  SPROUTING  OF  THE  SEED 

song.  Larry  had  travelled  through  Europe,  to  look  about 
him,  as  he  naively  said,  but  it  was  what  reminded  him 
of  that  voice  he  had  found  most  pleasure  in  when  he 
listened  to  famous  sopranos  and  great  cathedral  choirs. 

Still,  he  had  expected  little,  realizing,  as  he  had  early 
done,  that  Hetty  was  not  for  him.  It  was  enough  to  be 
with  her  when  she  had  any  need  of  him  and  to  dream  of 
her  when  absent,  while  it  was  only  when  he  heard  she 
had  found  her  hopes  were  vain  that  he  clutched  at  the 
very  faint  but  alluring  possibility  that  now  her  heart 
might  turn  to  him.  Then,  had  come  the  summons  of 
duty,  and  when  he  had  to  choose  which  side  he  would 
take,  Larry,  knowing  what  it  would  cost  him,  had  with 
the  simple  loyalty  which  had  bound  him  as  Hetty's  serv- 
ant without  hope  of  reward,  decided  on  what  he  felt 
was  right.  He  was  merely  one  of  the  many  quiet,  stead- 
fast men  whom  the  ostentatious  sometimes  mistake  for 
fools,  until  the  nation  they  form  the  backbone  of  rises  to 
grapple  with  disaster  or  emergency.  They  are  not  con- 
fined to  any  one  country;  for  his  comrade,  Muller,  the 
placid,  unemphatic  Teuton,  had  been  at  Worth  and  Sedan. 

Though  none  of  these  memories  delayed  him  a  second, 
he  brushed  them  from  him  when  the  moon  dipped.  Dark- 
ness swooped  down  on  the  prairie,  and  it  is  the  darkness 
that  suits  rapine  best ;  now,  that  he  could  see  the  trail  no 
longer,  he  shook  the  bridle,  and  the  pace  grew  faster. 
The  powdery  snow  whirled  behind  him,  the  long,  dim 
levels  flitted  past,  until  at  last,  with  heart  thumping,  he 
rode  up  a  rise  from  whose  crest  he  could  see  Cedar  Range. 
A  great  weight  lifted  from  him — the  row  of  windows 
were  blinking  beside  the  dusky  blufif!  But  even  as  he 
checked  the  horse  the  ringing  of  a  rifle  came  porten- 
tously out  of  the  stillness.  With  a  gasp  he  drove  in  his 
heels  and  swept  at  a  furious  gallop  down  the  slope. 

143 


XIII 

UNDER   FIRE 

It  was  getting  late  and  Torrance  evidently  becoming 
impatient,  when  Clavering,  who  had  ignored  the  latter 
fact  as  long  as  he  considered  it  advisable,  glanced  at 
Hetty  with  a  smile.  He  stood  by  the  piano  in  the  big 
hall  at  Cedar  Range,  and  she  sat  on  the  music-stool  turn- 
ing over  one  of  the  new  songs  he  had  brought  her  from 
Chicago. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  will  have  to  go,''  he  said.  "  Your 
father  is  not  fond  of  waiting." 

Though  Hetty  was  not  looking  at  him  directly,  she  saw 
his  face,  which  expressed  reluctance  still  more  plainly 
than  his  voice  did;  but  just  then  Torrance  turned  to 
them. 

"  Aren't  you  through  with  those  songs  yet,  Claver- 
ing?  "  he  said. 

"  I'm  afraid  I  have  made  Miss  Torrance  tired,"  said 
Clavering.  "  Still,  we  have  music  enough  left  us  for 
another  hour  or  two." 

"  Then  why  can't  you  stay  on  over  to-morrow  and  get 
a  whole  night  at  it?    I  want  you  just  now." 

Clavering  glanced  at  Hetty,  and,  though  she  made  no 
sign,  fancied  that  she  was  not  quite  pleased  with  her 
father. 

"  Am  I  to  tell  him  I  will?  "  he  asked. 

Hetty  understood  what  prompted  him,  but  she  would 
not  commit  herself.    "  You  will  do  what  suits  you,"  she 

144 


UNDER  FIRE 

said.  "  When  my  father  asks  any  one  to  Cedar  I  really 
don't  often  make  myself  unpleasant  to  him/' 

Clavering's  eyes  twinkled  as  he  walked  towards  the 
older  man,  while  Hetty  crossed  the  room  to  where  Miss 
Schuyler  sat.  Both  apparently  became  absorbed  in  the 
books  Clavering  had  brought,  but  they  could  hear  the 
conversation  of  the  men,  and  it  became  evident  later  that 
one  of  them  listened.  Torrance  had  questions  to  ask,  and 
Clavering  answered  them. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  I  had  a  talk  with  Purbeck  which 
cost  us  fifty  dollars.  His  notion  was  that  the  Bureau 
hadn't  a  great  deal  to  go  upon  if  they  meant  to  do  any- 
thing further  about  dispossessing  us.  In  fact,  he  quite 
seemed  to  think  that  as  the  legislature  had  a  good  many 
other  worries  just  now,  it  would  suit  them  to  let  us  slide. 
He  couldn't  recommend  anything  better  than  getting  our 
friends  in  the  lobbies  to  keep  the  screw  on  them  until  the 
election." 

Torrance  looked  thoughtful.  "  That  means  holding 
out  for  another  six  months,  any  way.  Did  you  hear 
anything  at  the  settlement?  " 

"  Yes.  Fleming  wouldn't  sell  the  homestead-boys  any- 
thing after  they  broke  in  his  store.  Steele's  our  man, 
and  it  was  Carter  they  got  their  provisions  from.  Now, 
Carter  had  given  Jackson  a  bond  for  two  thousand  dol- 
lars when  he  first  came  in,  and  as  he  hadn't  made  his 
payments  lately,  and  we  have  our  thumb  on  Jackson, 
the  Sheriff  has  closed  down  on  his  store.  He'll  be  glad 
to  light  out  with  the  clothes  he  stands  in  when  w^e're 
through  with  him." 

Torrance  nodded  grim  approval.  "  Larry  wouldn't 
sit  tight." 

"  No,"  said  Clavering.  "  He  wired  right  through  to 
Chicago  for  most  of  a  carload  of  flour  and  eatables,  but 

145 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

that  car  got  billed  wrong  somehow,  and  now  they're 
looking  for  her  up  and  down  the  side-tracks  of  the  Pacific 
slope.  Larry's  men  will  be  getting  savage.  It  is  not 
nice  to  be  hungry  when  there's  forty  degrees  of  frost." 

Torrance  laughed  softly.  "  You  have  fixed  the  thing 
just  as  I  would." 

Then  his  daughter  stood  up  with  a  little  flush  in  her 
face.  "You  could  not  have  meant  that,  father?"  she 
said. 

"  Well,"  said  Torrance,  drily,  "  I  quite  think  I  did,  but 
there's  a  good  deal  you  can't  get  the  hang  of,  Hetty — 
and  it's  getting  very  late." 

He  looked  at  his  daughter  steadily,  and  Flora  Schuyler 
looked  at  all  of  them,  and  remembered  the  picture — 
Torrance  sitting  lean  and  sardonic  with  the  lamplight  on 
his  face,  Clavering  watching  the  girl  with  a  curious  little 
smile,  and  Hetty  standing  very  slim  and  straight,  with 
something  in  the  poise  of  her  shapely  head  that  had  its 
meaning  to  Miss  Schuyler.  Then  with  a  "  Good-night  " 
to  Torrance,  and  a  half-ironical  bend  of  the  head  to  Cla- 
vering, she  turned  to  her  companion,  and  they  went  out 
together  before  he  could  open  the  door  for  them. 

Five  minutes  later  Hetty  tapped  at  Miss  Schuyler's 
door.  The  pink  tinge  still  showed  in  her  cheeks,  and  her 
eyes  had  a  suspicious  brightness  in  them. 

"  Flo,"  she  said,  "  you'll  go  back  to  New  York  right 
ofif.  I'm  sorry  I  brought  you  here.  This  place  isn't  fit 
for  you." 

"  I  am  quite  willing,  so  long  as  you  are  coming  too." 

"  I  can't.  Isn't  that  plain?  This  thing  is  getting  hor- 
rible— ^but  I  have  to  see  it  through.  It  was  Clavering 
fixed  it,  any  way." 

"  Put  it  away  until  to-morrow,"  Flora  Schuyler  ad- 

146 


UNDER  FIRE 

vised.  "  It  will  be  easier  to  see  whether  you  have  any 
cause  to  be  angry  then." 

Hetty  turned  towards  her  with  a  flash  in  her  eyes.  "  I 
know  just  what  you  mean,  and  it  would  be  nicer  just  to 
look  as  if  I  never  felt  anything,  as  some  of  those  English 
folks  you  were  fond  of  did ;  but  I  can't.  I  wasn't  made 
that  way.  Still,  I'm  not  going  to  apologize  for  my 
father.  He  is  Torrance  of  Cedar,  and  I'm  standing  in 
with  him — ^but  if  I  were  a  man  I'd  go  down  and  whip 
Clavering.  I  could  almost  have  shaken  him  when  he 
wanted  to  stay  here  and  tried  to  make  me  ask  him." 

'*  Well,"  said  Flora  Schuyler,  quietly,  "  I  am  going 
to  stay  with  you ;  but  I  don't  quite  see  what  Clavering  has 
done." 

"  No?  "  said  Hetty.  "  Aren't  you  just  a  little  stupid, 
Flo?  Now,  he  has  made  me  ashamed — horribly — and  I 
was  proud  of  the  men  we  had  in  this  country.  He's 
starving  the  women  and  the  little  children;  there  are 
quite  a  few  of  them  lying  in  freezing  shanties  and  sod- 
huts  out  there  in  the  snow.  It's  just  awful  to  be  hungry 
with  the  temperature  at  fifty  below." 

Miss  Schuyler  shivered.  It  was  very  warm  and  cosy 
sitting  there,  behind  double  casements,  beside  a  glowing 
stove ;  but  there  had  been  times  when,  wrapped  in  costly 
furs  and  great  sleigh-robes  and  generously  fed,  she  had 
felt  her  flesh  shrink  from  the  cold  of  the  prairie. 

"  But  they  have  Mr.  Grant  to  help  them,"  she  said. 

Even  in  her  agitation  Hetty  was  struck  by  something 
which  suggested  unquestioning  faith  in  her  companion's 
tone. 

"You  believe  he  could  do  something,"  she  said. 

"  Of  course !    You  know  him  better  than  I  do,  Hetty.'* 

"  Well,"  said  Hetty,  ''though  he  has  made  me  vexed 

^47 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

with  him,  I  am  proud  of  Larry;  and  there's  just  one 
thing  he  can't  do.  That  is,  to  see  women  and  children 
hungry  while  he  has  a  dollar  to  buy  them  food  with.  Oh, 
I  know  who  was  going  to  pay  for  the  provisions  that 
came  from  Chicago  that  Clavering  got  the  railroad  men 
to  send  the  wrong  way,  and  if  Larry  had  only  been  with 
us  he  would  have  been  splendid.  As  it  is,  if  he  feeds 
them  in  spite  of  Clavering,  I  could  'most  forgive  him 
everything." 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  that  you  have  a  great  deal  to 
forgive  ?  " 

Hetty,  instead  of  resenting  the  question,  stretched  out 
her  hand  appealingly.  '*  Don't  be  clever,  Flo.  Come 
here  quite  close,  and  be  nice  to  me.  This  thing  is  worry- 
ing me  horribly;  and  Fm  ashamed  of  myself  and — of 
everybody.  Oh,  I  know  I'm  a  failure.  I  couldn't  sing  to 
please  folks  and  I  sent  Jake  Cheyne  away,  while  now, 
when  the  trouble's  come,  I'm  too  mean  even  to  stand 
behind  my  father  as  I  meant  to  do.  Flo,  you'll  stay  with 
me.    I  want  you." 

Miss  Schuyler,  who  had  not  seen  Hetty  in  this  mood 
before,  petted  her,  though  she  said  very  little,  for  she  felt 
that  the  somewhat  unusual  abasement  might,  on  the 
whole,  be  beneficial  to  her  companion.  So  there  was 
silence  in  the  room,  broken  only  by  the  snapping  of  the 
stove  and  the  faint  moaning  of  the  bitter  wind  about  the 
lonely  building,  while  Miss  Schuyler  sat  somewhat  un- 
comfortably on  the  arm  of  Hetty's  chair  with  the  little 
dusky  head  pressed  against  her  shoulder.  Hetty  could 
not  see  her  face  or  its  gravity  might  have  astonished  her. 
Miss  Schuyler  had  not  spoken  quite  the  truth  when, 
though  she  had  only  met  him  three  times,  she  admitted 
that  Hetty  knew  Larry  Grant  better  than  she  did.  In 
various  places  and  different  guises  Flora  Schuyler  had 

148 


UNDER  FIRE 

seen  the  type  of  manhood  he  stood  for,  but  had  never 
felt  the  same  curious  stirring  of  sympathy  this  grave, 
brown-faced  man  had  aroused  in  her. 

A  hound  bayed  savagely,  and  Hetty  lifted  her  head. 
"  Strangers !  "  she  said.  *'  Bowie  knows  all  the  cattle- 
boys.     Who  can  be  coming  at  this  hour? '' 

The  question  was  not  unwarranted,  for  it  was  close  on 
midnight,  but  Flora  Schuyler  did  not  answer.  She  could 
hear  nothing  but  the  moan  of  the  wand,  the  ranch  was 
very  still,  tmtil  once  more  there  carrie  an  angry  growl. 
Then,  out  of  the  icy  darkness  followed  the  sound  of  run- 
ning feet,  a  hoarse  cry,  and  a  loud  pounding  at  the  outer 
door. 

Hetty  stood  up,  trembling  and  white  in  the  face,  but 
very  straight.  *'  Don't  be  frightened,  Flo,''  she  said. 
"  We'll  whip  them  back  to  the  place  they  came  from." 

"  Who  is  it  ?  "  asked  Miss  Schuyler. 

Again  the  building  rang  to  the  blows  upon  the 
outer  door ;  but  Hetty's  voice  was  even,  and  a  little 
contemptuous. 

*'  The  rustlers !  "  she  said. 

There  was  a  trampling  below,  and  a  corridor  beneath 
the  girls  vibrated  with  the  footsteps  of  hurrying  men, 
while  Torrance's  voice  rose  faintly  through  the  din;  a 
very  unpleasant  silence,  until  somebody  rapped  upon  the 
door.  Flora  Schuyler  felt  her  heart  throbbing  painfully, 
and  gasped  when  Torrance  looked  in.  His  lean  face  was 
very  stern. 

"  Put  the  lamp  out,  and  sit  well  away  from  the  win- 
dow," he  said. 

"  No,"  said  Hetty  in  a  voice  Miss  Schuyler  had  not 
heard  before;  "  we  are  coming  down." 

Torrance  considered  for  a  second,  and  then  smiled  sig- 
nificantly as  he  glanced  at  his  daughter's  face.     "  Well, 

149 


THE   CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

you  would  be  'most  as  safe  down  there — and  I  guess  it 
was  born  in  you/'  he  said. 

The  girls  followed  him  down  the  cedar  stairway  and 
into  the  hall.  A  lamp  burning  very  low  stood  on  a  table 
in  one  corner,  but  the  big  room  was  dim  and  shadowy, 
and  the  girls  could  scarcely  see  the  five  or  six  men  stand- 
ing near,  not  in  front  of,  one  open  window.  Framed  by 
its  log  casing  the  white  prairie  faded  into  the  dimness 
under  a  smear  of  indigo  sky.  Here  and  there  a  star 
shone  in  it  with  intense  brilliancy,  and  though  the  great 
stove  roared  in  the  draught  it  seemed  to  Miss  Schuyler 
that  a  destroying  cold  came  in.  Already  she  felt  her 
hands  grow  numb. 

"  Where  are  the  boys,  Hetty?  "  she  asked. 

"  In  at  the  railroad,  most  of  them.  One  or  two  at 
the  back.  Now,  Til  show  you  how  to  load  a  rifle, 
Flo." 

Miss  Schuyler  followed  her  to  the  table,  where  several 
rifles  were  lying  beside  a  big  box  of  cartridges,  and  Hetty 
took  one  of  them  up. 

"  You  push  this  slide  back,  and  drop  the  cartridge  in," 
she  said.  "  Now  it  has  gone  into  this  pipe  here,  and  you 
drop  in  another.  Get  hold,  and  push  them  in  until  you 
can't  get  in  any  more.  Why — it  can't  hurt  you — your 
hands  are  shaking!  " 

There  was  a  rattle,  and  the  venomous,  conical-headed 
cartridge  slipped  from  Miss  Schuyler's  fingers.  She  had 
never  handled  one  before,  and  it  seemed  to  her  that  a 
horrible,  evil  potency  was  bound  up  in  that  insignificant 
roll  of  metal.  Then,  while  the  rifle  click-clacked  in 
Hetty's  hands,  Torrance  stood  by  the  window  holding  up 
a  handkerchief.  He  called  out  sharply,  and  there  was  a 
murmur  of  derision  in  the  darkness  outside. 

"  Come  out !  "  said  a  hoarse  voice.    "  We'll  give  you  a 

ISO 


UNDER  FIRE 

minute.  Then  you  can  have  a  sleigh  to  drive  to  perdi- 
tion in." 

The  laughter  that  followed  frightened  Miss  Schuyler 
more  than  any  threats  would  have  done.  It  seemed 
wholly  horrible,  and  there  was  a  hint  in  it  of  the  fierce 
exultation  of  men  driven  to  desperation. 

*'  That  wouldn't  suit  me,"  said  Torrance.  '*  What  do 
you  want  here,  any  way  ?  " 

"  Food,"  somebody  answered.  "  You  wanted  to  starve 
us,  Torrance,  and  rode  us  out  when  we  went  chopping 
stove  wood  in  the  bluff.  Well,  you  don't  often  miss 
your  supper  at  the  Range,  and  there's  quite  enough  of  it 
to  make  a  decent  blaze.  You  haven't  much  of  that  min- 
ute left.    Are  you  coming  out?  " 

"  No,"  said  Torrance  briefly,  and,  dropping  the  hand- 
kerchief, moved  from  the  window. 

The  next  moment  there  was  a  flash  in  the  darkness, 
and  something  came  whirring  into  the  room.  The  girls 
could  not  see  it,  but  they  heard  the  thud  it  struck  with 
and  saw  a  chip  start  from  the  cedar  panelling.  Then, 
there  was  a  rush  of  feet,  and  twice  a  red  streak  blazed 
from  the  window.  A  man  jerked  a  cartridge,  which  fell 
with  a  rattle  from  his  rifle,  and  a  little  blue  smoke  blew 
across  the  room.  Flora  Schuyler  shivered  as  the  acrid 
fumes  of  it  drifted  about  her,  but  Hetty  stood  very 
straight,  with  one  hand  on  the  rim  of  the  table. 

"  Got  nobody,  and  they're  into  the  shadow  now,"  said 
a  man  disgustedly,  and  Flora  Schuyler,  seeing  his  face, 
which  showed  a  moment  fierce  and  brutish  as  he  turned, 
felt  that  she  could  not  forget  it,  and  most  illogically 
hated  him. 

For  almost  a  minute  there  was  silence.  Nobody 
moved  in  the  big  room,  where  the  shadows  wavered  as 
the  faint  flickering  lamplight  rose  and  fell,  and  there  was 
no  sound  but  the  doleful  wail  of  the  night  wind  from  the 

151 


/ 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

prairie.  It  was  broken  by  a  dull  crash  that  was  repeated 
a  moment  later,  and  the  men  looked  at  one  another. 

**  They've  brought  their  axes  along/'  said  somebody. 
*'  If  there's  any  of  the  Michigan  boys  around  they'll  drive 
that  door  in." 

"  Watch  it,  two  of  you,"  said  Torrance.  "  Jake,  can't 
you  get  a  shot  at  them  ?  " 

A  man  crouched  by  the  open  window,  which  was  some 
little  height  from  the  ground,  his  arms  upon  the  sill,  and 
his  head  showing  against  the  darkness  just  above  them. 
He  was,  it  seemed  to  Miss  Schuyler,  horribly  deliberate, 
and  she  held  her  breath  while  she  watched,  as  if  fasci- 
nated, the  long  barrel  move  a  little.  Then  its  muzzle 
tilted  suddenly,  a  train  of  red  sparks  blew  out,  and  some- 
thing that  hummed  through  the  smoke  struck  the  wall. 
The  man  dropped  below  the  sill,  and  called  hoarsely 
'through  the  crash  of  the  falling  axes. 

"  Got  the  pillar  instead  of  him.  There's  a  streak  of 
light  behind  me.    Well,  I'll  try  for  him  again." 

Hetty  emptied  the  box  of  cartridges,  and,  with  hands 
that  did  not  seem  to  tremble,  stood  it  up  before  the  lamp. 
Once  more  the  man  crouched  by  the  window,  a  blurred, 
huddled  object  with  head  down  on  the  rifle  stock,  and 
there  was  another  streak  of  flame.  Then,  the  thud  of 
the  axes  suddenly  ceased,  and  he  laughed  a  little  dis- 
cordant laugh. 

"  Got  him  this  time.    The  other  one's  lit  out,"  he  said. 

Miss  Schuyler  shuddered,  and  clutched  at  the  table, 
while,  though  Hetty  was  very  still,  she  fancied  she  heard 
a  stifled  gasp.  The  silence  was  even  more  disconcerting 
than  the  pounding  of  the  axes  or  the  crash  of  the  firing. 
Flora  Schuyler  could  see  the  shadowy  figures  about  the 
window,  and  just  distinguish  some  of  them.  The  one 
standing  close  in  front  of  it,  as  though  disdainful  of  the 


UNDER  FIRE 

risk  he  ran,  was  Torrance ;  the  other,  who  now  and  thea 
moved  Hthely,  and  once  rested  a  rifle  on  the  sill,  was 
Clavering ;  another,  the  man  who  had  fired  the  last  shot ; 
but  the  rest  were  blurred,  formless  objects,  a  little 
darker  than  the  cedar  panelling.  Now  and  then  the 
streak  of  radiance  widened  behind  the  box,  and  the  cold 
grew  numbing  as  the  icy  wind  flowed  in. 

Suddenly  a  voice  rose  up  outside.  "  You  can't  keep 
us  out,  Torrance.  We're  bound  to  get  in ;  but  Til  try  to 
hold  the  boys  now  if  you'll  let  us  have  our  wounded  man, 
and  light  out  quietly." 

Torrance  laughed.  "  You  are  not  making  much  of  a 
show,  and  I'm  quite  ready  to  do  the  best  I  can,"  he  said. 
"  If  there's  any  life  in  him  we  want  your  man  for  the 
Sherifif." 

Then  he  turned  to  the  others.  "  I  was  'most  for- 
getting the  fellow  outside  there.  We'll  hold  them  off 
from  the  window  while  you  bring  him  in." 

It  appeared  horribly  risky,  but  Torrance  spoke  with  a 
curious  unconcernedness,  and  Clavering  laughed  as,  sign- 
ing to  two  men,  he  prepared  to  do  his  bidding.  There 
was  a  creaking  and  rattling,  and  the  great  door  at  one 
end  of  the  hall  swung  open,  and  Flora  Schuyler,  staring 
at  the  darkness,  expected  to  see  a  rush  of  shadowy  figures 
out  of  it.  But  she  saw  only  the  blurred  outline  of  two 
men  who  stooped  and  dragged  something  in,  and  then 
the  door  swung  to  again. 

They  lifted  their  burden  higher.  Torrance,  approach- 
ing the  table,  took  up  the  lamp,  and  Miss  Schuyler  had 
a  passing  glimpse  of  a  hanging  head  and  a  drawn  grey 
face  as  they  tramped  past  her  heavily.  She  opened  her 
blue  lips  and  closed  them  again,  for  she  was  dazed  with 
cold,  and  the  cry  that  would  have  been  a  relief  to  her 
never  came.  It  was  several  minutes  later  when  Tor- 
rance's voice  rose  from  by  the  stove. 

153 


THE   CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  We'll  leave  him  here  in  the  meanwhile,  where  he 
can't  freeze/'  he  said.  "  Shot  right  through  the  shoul- 
der, but  there's  no  great  bleeding.  The  cold  would 
stop  it." 

Hetty  was  at  her  father's  side  the  next  moment. 
"  Flo,"  she  said,  "  we  have  to  do  something  now." 

Torrance  waved  them  back.  **  The  longer  that  man 
stops  as  he  is,  the  better  chances  he's  going  to  have."  He 
glanced  towards  the  window.  *'  Boys,  can  you  see  what 
they're  doing  now  ?  " 

^'Hauling  out  prairie  hay,"  said  Clavering.  "  They've 
broken  into  the  store,  and  from  what  one  fellow  shouted 
they've  found  the  kerosene." 

Torrance  said  nothing  whatever,  and  his  silence  was 
significant.  Listening  with  strained  attention,  Flora 
Schuyler  could  hear  a  faint  hum  of  voices,  and  now  and 
then  vague  sounds  amidst  a  patter  of  hurrying  steps. 
They  told  her  very  little,  but  the  tension  in  the  attitude 
of  the  half-seen  men  had  its  meaning.  It  was  evident 
that  their  assailants  purposed  to  burn  them  out. 

Ten  minutes  passed,  as  it  were  interminably,  and  still 
nobody  moved.  The  voices  had  grown  a  little  louder, 
and  there  was  a  rattle  as  though  men  unseen  behind  the 
buildings  were  dragging  up  a  wagon.  Suddenly  a 
rhythmic  drumming  came  softly  through  it,  and  Claver- 
ing glanced  at  Torrance. 

"  Somebody  riding  this  way  at  a  gallop,"  he  said. 

The  beat  of  hoofs  grew  louder.  The  men  without 
seemed  to  be  running  to  and  fro,  and  shouting  to  one 
another,  while  those  in  the  hall  clustered  about  the  win- 
dow, reckless  of  the  risk  they  ran.  Standing  a  little 
behind  them  Hetty  saw  a  dim  mounted  figure  sweep  out 
of  the  waste  of  snow,  and  a  hoarse  shout  went  up. 
" Hold  on!    Throw  down  that  rifle!    It's  Larry  Grant." 

154 


XIV 

Torrance's  warning 

In  another  moment  the  horseman  pulled  up,  and  sat 
motionless  in  his  saddle  with  his  head  turned  towards  the 
house.  Hetty  could  see  him  silhouetted,  shapeless  and 
shadowy  in  his  big  fur-coat,  against  the  whiteness  of  the 
snow,  and  the  relief  she  felt  betrayed  itself  in  her  voice 
as  she  turned  to  Miss  Schuyler. 

"  Yes,''  she  said,  **  it's  Larry.  There  will  be  no  more 
trouble  now." 

Flora  Schuyler  laughed  a  little  breathless  laugh,  fof 
though  she  also  felt  the  confidence  her  companion  evinced, 
the  strain  had  told  on  her. 

"  Of  course,"  she  said,  **  he  knew  you  wanted  him. 
There  are  men  like  that." 

It  was  a  simple  tribute,  but  Hetty  thrilled  with  pride. 
Larry  was  at  least  consistent,  and  now,  as  it  had  been  in 
the  days  both  looked  back  upon,  he  had  come  when  she 
needed  him.  She  also  recognized  even  then  that  the 
fact  that  he  is  generally  to  be  found  where  he  is  wanted 
implies  a  good  deal  in  the  favour  of  any  man.  ^ 

And  now  half-seen  objects  moved  out  from  behind  barn 
and  stable,  and  the  horseman  turned  towards  them.  His 
voice  rose  sharply  and  commandingly. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  "  he  demanded. 

There  was  no  answer  for  several  moments,  and  then 
a  man  stepped  forward  gesticulating  fiercely  as  he  com- 
menced a  tirade  that  was  less  than  half  intelligible.  Larry 
checked  him  with  a  lifted  hand. 

155 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  There's  a  good  deal  of  that  I  can't  quite  understand, 
and  the  rest  doesn't  seem  to  fit  this  case,"  he  said,  with  a 
laugh  that  had  more  effect  upon  some  of  those  who  heard 
it  than  a  flow  of  eloquence  would  have  had.  ^'  Boys,  we 
have  no  use  for  worrying  about  the  meanness  of  Euro- 
pean kings  and  folks  of  that  kind.  If  you  have  brought 
any  along  I'd  sooner  listen  to  sensible  Americans." 

Another  man  stepped  forward,  and  there  was  no  doubt 
about  his  accent,  though  his  tone  was  deprecatory. 

**  Well,  it  just  comes  to  this,"  he  said.  "  Torrance  and 
the  cattle-men  have  done  their  best  to  starve  us  and 
freeze  us  out,  and,  since  he  has  made  it  plain  that  there's 
no  room  for  both  of  us,  somebody  has  got  to  go.  Now, 
we  have  come  a  long  way  and  we  mean  to  stay.  We're 
not  looking  for  trouble,  but  we  want  our  rights." 

There  was  a  murmur  of  encouragement  from  the  rest, 
but  again  Larry's  laugh  had  its  effect.  "  Then  you're 
taking  a  kind  of  curious  way  of  getting  them,"  he  said, 
^'  I  don't  know  that  trying  to  burn  folks'  houses  ever  did 
anybody  much  good,  and  it's  quite  likely  to  bring  a  regi- 
ment of  Ubited  States  cavalry  down  on  you.  Mr.  Tor- 
rance, I  fancied  I  heard  firing.  Have  you  anybody  hurt 
inside?  " 

**  One  of  your  men,"  said  Torrance  drily.  "  We  hope 
to  pull  him  round,  and  let  the  Sheriff  have  him." 

It  was  not  a  conciliatory  answer,  and  came  near  undo- 
ing what  Grant  had  accomplished ;  but  the  grim  old  cat- 
tle-baron was  not  the  man  to  propitiate  an  enemy.  A 
murmur  followed  it,  and  somebody  said,  "  Boys,  you 
hear  him !    Bring  along  that  wagon.    We're  going  in." 

The  form  of  speech  was  Western,  but  the  voice  was 
guttural,  and  when  there  was  a  rattle  of  wheels  Grant 
suddenly  changed  his  tone. 

"  Stop  right  there,"  he  said.     "  Throw  every  truss  of 

156 


TORRANCE'S  WARNING 

hay  down.  The  man  who  holds  off  when  I  tell  him  what 
to  do  is  going  to  have  trouble  with  the  executive/' 

It  was  a  bold  venture,  and  any  sign  of  effort  or  uneven- 
ness  of  inflection  would  have  rendered  it  futile,  but  the 
voice  was  sharp  and  ringing,  and  the  fashion  in  which 
the  horseman  flung  up  his  arm  commanding.  It  was, 
also,  tactful,  for  some  of  those  who  heard  it  had  been 
drilled  into  unreflecting  obedience,  and  there  is  in  the 
native  American  the  respect  for  a  duly  accredited  leader, 
which  discipline  has  further  impressed  upon  the  Teuton. 
Still,  those  who  watched  from  the  window  felt  that  this 
was  the  crisis,  and  tightened  their  numbed  fingers  on  the 
rifles,  knowing  that  if  the  horseman  failed  they  would 
shortly  need  them  again.  None  of  them,  however,  made 
any  other  movement,  and  Miss  Schuyler,  who,  grasping 
Hetty's  hand,  saw  the  dim  figures  standing  rigid  and 
intent,  could  only  hear  the  snapping  of  the  stove. 

"  Hetty,"  she  gasped,  "  I  shall  do  something  silly  in 
another  moment." 

The  tension  only  lasted  a  moment  or  two.  A  man 
sprang  up  on  the  pole  of  the  wagon,  and  a  truss  of  hay 
went  down.  Another  followed,  and  then,  men  who  had 
also  felt  the  strain  and  now  felt  it  a  relief  to  do  anything, 
clustered  about  the  wagon.  In  a  few  minutes  it  was 
empty,  and  the  men  who  had  been  a  mob  turned  to  the 
one  who  had  changed  them  into  an  organized  body. 

^  What  do  you  want  now  ?  "  asked  one  of  them. 

"  Run  that  wagon  back  where  you  got  it  from,"  said 
Larry. 

It  was  done,  and  when  the  clustering  figures  vanished 
amidst  a  rattle  of  wheels  Torrance  laid  aside  his  rifle  and 
sat  down  on  the  table. 

"  I  guess  there'll  be  no  more  trouble,  boys.  That's  a 
thing  there's  not  many  men  could  have  done,"  he  added. 

157 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

His  daughter  also  sat  down  in  the  nearest  chair,  with 
Flora  Schuyler's  hand  still  within  her  own.  She  had 
been  very  still  while  the  suspense  lasted,  but  she  was 
trembling  now,  and  her  voice  had  a  little  quiver  in  it  as 
she  said,  "  Wasn't  he  splendid,  Flo?  " 

It  was  some  minutes  before  Grant  and  the  other  men 
came  back  again,  and  fragments  of  what  he  said  were 
audible.  **  Then,  you  can  pick  out  four  men,  and  we'll 
hear  them  at  the  committee.  I  have  two  or  three  ques- 
tions to  ask  you  by  and  by.  Half  a  dozen  of  you  keep 
a  look-out.  The  rest  can  get  into  the  stable  out  of  the 
frost." 

The  men  dispersed,  and  Grant  turned  towards  the 
house.  "  I  don't  think  you  need  have  any  further  anx- 
iety, and  you  can  shut  that  window  if  you  want  to,  Mr. 
Torrance." 

Torrance  laughed.  "  I  don't  know  that  I've  shown 
any  yet." 

"  I  hope  you  haven't  felt  it,"  said  Grant.  "  It  is  cold 
out  here,  and  I'm  willing  to  come  in  and  talk  to  you." 

Somebody  had  moved  the  box  away  from  the  lamp, 
and  Clavering's  face  showed  up  against  the  wavering 
shadow  as  he  turned  towards  his  leader.  Flora  Schuyler 
saw  a  little  unpleasant  smile  on  his  lips  as  he  pointed  sug- 
gestively to  the  men  with  rifles  he  had  sent  towards  the 
door. 

"  That  would  suit  us,  sir,"  he  said. 

Torrance  understood  him,  for  he  shook  his  head 
impatiently.  "  It  wouldn't  pay.  There  would  be  too 
many  of  his  friends  wondering  what  had  become  of  him. 
Get  the  door  open  and  tell  him  to  come  in.  Light  the 
big  lamps,  somebody." 

The  door  was  opened,  and,  as  if  in  confirmation  of 

158 


TORRANCE'S  WARNING 

Torrance's  warning,  a  voice  rose  up  outside.  "  We  have 
let  him  go,  but  if  you  try  any  meanness,  or  he  isn't  ready 
when  we  want  him,  we'll  pull  the  place  down,"  it  said. 

Larry  walked  out  of  the  darkness  into  the  blaze  of 
light,  and  only  smiled  a  little  when  the  great  door  swung 
to  behind  him  and  somebody  brought  the  window  bang- 
ing down.  Two  men  with  rifles  stepped  between  him 
and  the  former ;  but  if  Torrance  had  intended  to  impress 
him,  he  had  apparently  failed,  for  he  moved  forward 
with  quiet  confidence.  The  fur  cap  he  held  in  his  hand 
was  white,  and  the  great  fur  coat  stood  out  from  his 
body  stiff  with  frost,  while  Hetty  winced  when  she  saw 
the  pallor  of  his  face.  It  was  evident  that  it  was  not 
without  a  strenuous  effort  he  had  made  the  mob  sub- 
servient to  him. 

But  his  eyes  were  grave  and  steady,  in  spite  of  the 
weariness  in  them,  and  as  he  passed  the  girls  he  made  a 
little  formal  inclination  with  his  head.  He  stopped  in 
front  of  Torrance,  who  rose  from  his  seat  on  the  table, 
and  for  a  moment  the  two  men  looked  at  one  another. 
Both  stood  very  straight,  one  lean,  and  dark,  and  com- 
manding, with  half-contemptuous  anger  in  his  black  eyes ; 
the  other  of  heavier  frame  and  brown  of  skin  and  hair 
save  where  what  he  had  done  had  left  its  stamp  of  pallor. 
Yet,  different  as  they  were  in  complexion  and  feature, 
it  seemed  to  Miss  Schuyler,  who  watched  them  intently, 
that  there  was  a  curious,  indefinite  resemblance  between 
them.  They  were  of  the  same  stock  and  equally  resolute, 
each  ready,  it  seemed,  to  stake  all  he  had  on  what  he  held 
the  right. 

Flora  Schuyler,  who  had  trained  her  observation,  also 
read  what  they  felt  in  their  faces,  and  saw  in  that  of 
Torrance  grudging  approval  tempered  by  scorn  of  the 
man  who  had  trampled  on  the  traditions  of  those  he 

159 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

sprang  from.  She  fancied  that  Larry  recognized  this 
and  that  it  stung  him,  though  he  would  not  show  that  it 
did,  and  his  attitude  pleased  her  most.  It  was  unyield- 
ing, but  there  was  a  deference  that  became  him  in  it. 

"  I  am  sorry  I  did  not  arrive  soon  enough  to  save  you 
this  inconvenience,  sir,"  he  said. 

Torrance  smiled  grimly,  and  there  was  a  hardness  in 
his  voice.  **  You  have  been  here  a  good  many  times, 
Larry,  and  we  did  our  best  for  you.  None  of  us  fancied 
that  you  would  repay  us  by  coming  back  with  a  mob  of 
rabble  to  pull  the  place  down." 

Grant  winced  perceptibly.  "  Nobody  is  more  sorry 
than  I  am,  sir." 

"Aren't  you  a  trifle  late?" 

"  I  came  as  soon  as  I  got  word." 

Torrance  made  a  little  gesture  of  impatience.  "  That's 
not  what  I  mean.  There  is  very  little  use  in  being  sorry 
now.  Before  the  other  fools  you  joined  started  there 
talking  there  was  quietness  and  prosperity  in  this  coun- 
try. The  men  who  had  made  it  what  it  is  got  all,  but 
nothing  more  than  they  were  entitled  to,  and  one  could 
enjoy  what  he  had  worked  for  and  sleep  at  night.  This 
was  not  good  enough  for  you — and  this  is  what  you 
have  made  of  it." 

He  stretched  out  his  arm  with  a  forceful  gesture, 
pointing  to  the  men  with  rifles,  the  two  white-faced  girls, 
and  the  splinters  on  the  wall,  then  dropped  his  hand,  and 
Larry's  eyes  rested  on  the  huddled  figure  lying  by  the 
stove.  He  moved  towards  it,  and  bent  down  without  a 
word,  and  it  was  at  least  five  minutes  before  he  came 
back  again,  his  face  dark  and  stern. 

"  You  have  done  nothing  for  him?  "  he  said. 

"  No,"  said  Torrance,  "  we  have  not.  I  guess  nature 
knows  what's  best  for  him,  and  I  didn't  see  anything  to 

1 60 


•AREN'T  YOU  A  TRIFLE  LATE  }—Page  i6o. 


i 


TORRANCE'S  WARNING 

be  gained  by  rousing  him  with  brandy  to  start  the 
bleeding/' 

"  Well,  first  of  all,  I  want  that  man/' 

"  You  can  have  him.  We  had  meant  him  for  the 
Sheriff,  but  what  you  did  just  now  lays  me  in  your  debt, 
and  I  would  not  like  to  feel  I  owed  you  anything/' 

Grant  made  a  little  gesture.  "  I  don't  think  I  have 
quite  deserved  that,  sir.  I  owe  you  a  good  deal,  and  it 
makes  what  I  have  to  do  harder  still.  Can't  you  remem- 
ber that  there  was  a  time  when  you  were  kind  to  me?  " 

"  No,"  said  Torrance  drily.  *'  I  don't  want  to  be  re- 
minded when  I  have  done  foolish  things.  I  tried  to  warn 
you,  but  you  would  not  listen  to  me,  that  the  trail  you 
have  started  on  will  take  you  a  good  deal  farther  than 
you  meant  to  go.  If  you  have  anything  to  tell  me,  I  would 
sooner  talk  business.  Are  you  going  to  bring  your 
friends  round  here  at  night  again  ?  " 

**  They  came  without  me,  and,  if  I  can  help  it,  will  not 
come  back.  This  thing  will  be  gone  into,  and  the  leaders 
punished  by  our  committee.  Now,  are  you  willing  to 
stop  the  intimidation  of  the  storekeepers,  which  has 
brought  about  this  trouble,  and  let  us  get  provisions  in 
the  town?    I  can  offer  you  something  in  exchange." 

"  No,"  said  Torrance.  "  Do  what  suits  you  best.  I 
can  make  no  terms  with  you.  If  it  hadn't  been  for  my 
foolishness  in  sending  the  boys  off  with  the  cattle,  very 
few  of  your  friends  would  have  got  away  from  Cedar 
Range  to-night/' 

"  I'll  take  my  man  away.  I  can  thank  you  for  that  at 
least,"  was  Grant's  answer. 

He  moved  to  the  door  and  opened  it,  and  three  men 
came  in.  They  did  his  bidding,  and  all  made  way  for 
them  when  they  tramped  out  unsteadily  with  their  bur- 

i6i 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

den.  Then,  he  turned  once  more  to  Torrance  with  his 
fur  cap  in  his  hand. 

**  I  am  going  now,  sir,  and  it  is  hard  to  tell  what  may 
happen  before  we  meet  again.  We  have  each  got  a  diffi- 
cult row  to  hoe,  and  I  want  to  leave  you  on  the  best  terms 
I  can." 

Torrance  looked  at  him  steadily,  and  Grant  returned 
it  with  a  curious  gravity,  though  there  were  fearless 
cattle-men  at  Cedar  Range  who  did  not  care  to  meet  its 
owner's  gaze  when  he  regarded  them  in  that  fashion. 
With  a  just  perceptible  gesture  he  directed  the  younger 
man's  attention  to  the  red  splashes  on  the  floor. 

**  That  alone,"  he  said  quietly,  "  would  stand  between 
you  and  me.  We  made  this  land  rich  and  peaceful,  but 
that  did  not  please  you  and  the  rest,  who  had  not  sense 
to  see  that  while  human  nature's  what  it  is,  there's  no 
use  worrying  about  what  you  can't  have  when  you  have 
got  enough.  You  went  round  sowing  trouble,  and  by  and 
by  you'll  have  to  reap  it.  You  brought  in  the  rabble, 
and  were  going  to  lead  them,  and  make  them  farmers; 
but  now  they  will  lead  you  where  you  don't  want  to  go, 
and  when  you  have  given  them  all  you  have,  turn  and 
trample  on  you.  With  the  help  of  the  men  who  are  going 
back  on  their  own  kind,  they  may  get  us  down,  but  when 
that  time  comes  there  will  not  be  a  head  of  cattle  left,  or 
a  dollar  in  the  treasury." 

"  I  can  only  hope  you  are  mistaken,  sir,"  said  Grant. 

"  I  have  lived  quite  a  long  while,  but  I  have  never  seen 
the  rabble  keep  faith  with  anyone  longer  than  it  suited 
them,"  the  older  man  said.  *'  Any  way,  that  is  not  the 
question.  You  will  be  handed  to  the  Sheriff  if  you  come 
here  again.  I  have  nothing  more  to  tell  you,  and  this  is, 
I  hope,  the  last  time  I  shall  ever  speak  to  you." 

Miss  Schuyler  watched  Grant  closely,  but  though  his 

162 


TORRANCE'S  WARNING 

face  was  drawn  and  set,  she  saw  only  a  respect,  which, 
if  it  was  assumed,  still  became  him  in  his  bearing  as  he 
turned  away.  As  he  passed  the  girls  he  bent  his  head, 
and  Hetty,  whose  cheeks  were  flushed,  rose  with  a  for- 
mal bow,  though  her  eyes  shone  suspiciously,  but  Flora 
Schuyler  stepped  forward  and  held  out  her  hand. 

"  Mr.  Torrance  can't  object  to  two  women  thanking 
you  for  what  you  have  done;  and  if  he  does,  I  don't 
greatly  mind,"  she  said. 

Torrance  only  smiled,  but  the  warm  bronze  seemed  to 
have  returned  to  Larry's  face  as  he  passed  on.  Flora 
Schuyler  had  thanked  him,  but  he  had  seen  what  was 
worth  far  more  to  him  in  Hetty's  eyes,  and  knew  that  it 
was  only  loyalty  to  one  who  had  the  stronger  claim  that 
held  her  still.  After  the  door  closed  behind  him  there 
was  once  more  a  curious  stillness  in  the  hall  until  Tor- 
rance went  out  with  his  retainers.  A  little  later  Claver- 
ing  found  the  girls  in  another  room. 

"  You  seem  quite  impressed,  Miss  Schuyler,"  he  said. 

"  I  am,"  said  Flora  Schuyler.  "  I  have  seen  a  man 
who  commands  one's  approbation — and  an  American." 

Clavering  laughed.  "  Then,  they're  not  always  quite 
the  same  thing?  " 

"  No,"  Flora  Schuyler  said  coldly.  "  That  was  one  of 
the  pleasant  fancies  I  had  to  give  up  a  long  time  ago." 

"  I  would  like  a  definition  of  the  perfected  American," 
said  Clavering. 

Miss  Schuyler  yawned.  "  Can't  you  tell  him,  Hetty? 
I  once  heard  you  talk  quite  eloquently  on  that  subject." 

"  I'll  try,"  said  Hetty.  "  It's  the  man  who  wants  to 
give  his  country  something,  and  not  get  the  most  he  can 
out  of  it.  The  one  who  goes  round  planting  seeds  that 
will  grow  and  bear  fruit,  even  if  it  is  long  after  he  is 

163 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

there  to  eat  it.  No  country  has  much  use  for  the  man 
who  only  wants  to  reap." 

Clavering  assented,  but  there  was  a  sardonic  gleam  in 
his  eyes.  '*  Well/'  he  said  reflectively,  "  there  was  once 
a  man  who  planted  dragon's  teeth,  and  you  know  what 
kind  of  crop  they  yielded  him." 

**  He  knew  what  he  was  doing/'  said  Flora  Schuyler. 
**  The  trouble  is  that  now  few  men  know  a  dragon's  tooth 
when  they  see  it." 

Clavering  laughed.  "  Then  the  ones  who  don't  should 
be  stopped  right  off  when  they  go  round  planting  any- 
thing/' 


164 


XV 
Hetty's  bounty 

It  was  a  clear,  cold  afternoon,  and  Hetty,  driving  back 
from  Allonby's  ranch,  sent  the  team  at  a  gallop  down 
the  dip  to  the  Cedar  Bridge.  The  beaten  trail  rang  be- 
neath the  steel  shoes  of  the  rocking  sleigh,  the  birches 
streamed  up  blurred  together  out  of  the  hollow,  and 
Flora  Schuyler  felt  the  wind  sting  her  cheeks  like  the  lash 
of  a  whip.  The  coldness  of  it  dimmed  her  eyes,  and  she 
had  only  a  hazy  and  somewhat  disconcerting  vision  of  a 
streak  of  snow  that  rolled  back  to  the  horses'  feet  amidst 
the  whirling  trees.  It  was  wonderfully  exhilarating — 
the  rush  of  the  lurching  sleigh,  the  hammering  of  the 
hoofs,  and  the  scream  of  the  wind — ^but  Miss  Schuyler 
realized  that  it  was  also  unpleasantly  risky  as  she  remem- 
bered the  difficult  turn  before  one  came  to  the  bridge. 

She  decided,  however,  that  there  was  nothing  to  be 
gained  by  pointing  this  out  to  her  companion,  for  Hetty, 
who  sat  swaying  a  little  in  the  driving  seat,  had  been  in  a 
somewhat  curious  mood  since  the  attack  on  Cedar  Range, 
and  unusually  impatient  of  advice  or  remonstrance.  In- 
deed, Flora  Schuyler  fancied  that  it  was  the  restlessness 
she  had  manifested  once  or  twice  of  late  which  impelled 
her  to  hurl  the  sleigh  down  into  the  hollow  at  that  reckless 
pace.  So  she  said  nothing,  until  the  streak  of  snow  broke 
off  close  ahead,  and  there  were  only  trees  in  front  of  them. 
Then,  a  wild  lurch  cut  short  the  protest  she  made,  and 
she  gasped  as  they  swung  round  the  bend  and  flashed 

i6s 


h 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

across  the  bridge.  The  trail,  however,  led  steeply  up- 
wards now,  and  Hetty,  laughing,  dropped  the  reins  upon 
the  plodding  horses'  necks. 

**  Didn't  that  remind  you  of  the  Chicago  Limited  ?  " 
she  said. 

"  I  was  wondering,"  said  Miss  Schuyler  breathlessly, 
"  if  you  had  any  reason  for  trying  to  break  your  neck." 

''  Well,"  said  Hetty,  with  a  twinkle  in  her  eyes,  ''  I 
felt  I  had  to  do  something  a  little  out  of  the  usual,  and 
it  was  really  safe  enough.  Everybody  feels  that  way 
now  and  then,  and  I  couldn't  well  work  it  off  by  quar- 
relling with  you,  or  going  out  and  talking  to  the  boys 
as  my  father  does.  I  don't  know  a  better  cure  than  a 
gallop  or  a  switchback  in  a  sleigh." 

"  Some  folks  find  it  almost  as  soothing  to  tell  their 
friends  what  is  worrying  them,  and  I  scarcely  think  it's 
more  risky,"  said  Miss  Schuyler. 

Hetty's  face  became  grave.  "  Well,"  she  said,  ''  one 
can  talk  to  you,  and  I  have  been  worried,  Flo.  I  'know 
that  it  is  quite  foolish,  but  I  can't  help  it.  I  came  back  to 
see  my  father  through  the  trouble,  and  I'm  going  to; 
but  while  I  know  that  he's  ever  so  much  wiser  than  I 
am,  some  of  the  things  he  has  to  do  hurt  me.  It's  our 
land,  and  we're  going  to  keep  it;  but  it's  not  nice  to 
think  of  the  little  children  starving  in  the  snow." 

This,  Miss  Schuyler  decided,  was  perfectly  correct,  so 
far  as  it  went;  but  she  also  felt  tolerably  certain  that, 
while  it  was  commendable,  Hetty's  loyalty  to  her  father 
would  be  strenuously  tested,  and  did  not  alone  account 
for  her  restlessness. 

"  And  there  was  nothing  else  ?  "  she  said. 

"  No,"  said  Hetty,  a  little  too  decisively.  "  Of  course! 
Any  way,  now  I  have  told  you  we  are  not  going  to  worry 
about  these  things  to-day,  and  I  drove  fast  partly  because 

i66 


HETTY'S  BOUNTY 

the  trail  is  narrow,  and  one  generally  meets  somebody 
here.  Did  it  ever  strike  you,  Flo,  that  if  there's  anyone 
you  know  in  a  country  that  has  a  bridge  in  it,  you  will, 
if  you  cross  it  often  enough,  meet  him  there? '' 

**  No,"  and  Miss  Schuyler  smiled  satirically,  "  it  didn't, 
though  one  would  fancy  it  was  quite  likely.  I,  however, 
remember  that  we  met  Larry  here  not  very  long  ago. 
That  Canadian  blanket  suit  shows  you  off  quite  nicely, 
Hetty.    It  is  especially  adapted  to  your  kind  of  figure." 

Hetty  flicked  the  horses,  then  pulled  them  up  again, 
and  Miss  Schuyler  laughed  as  a  sleigh  with  two  men  in 
it  swung  out  from  beneath  the  trees  in  front  of  them. 

"  This  is,  of  course,  a  coincidence,"  she  said. 

Hetty  coloured.  *^  Don't  be  foolish,  Flo,"  she  said. 
"  How  could  I  know  he  was  coming?  " 

Flora  Schuyler  did  not  answer,  and  Hetty  was  edging 
her  horses  to  the  side  of  the  trail,  in  which  two  sleighs 
could  scarcely  pass,  when  a  shout  came  down. 

"  Wait.     We'll  pull  up  and  lead  our  team  round." 

In  another  minute  Grant  stepped  out  of  his  sleigh,  and 
would  have  passed  if  Hetty  had  not  stopped  him.  She 
sat  higher  than  her  companion,  and  probably  knew  that 
the  Canadian  blanket  costume,  with  its  scarlet  trimmings, 
became  her  slender  figure.  The  crimson  toque  also  went 
well  with  the  clustering  dark  hair  and  dark  eyes,  and 
there  was  a  brightness  in  the  latter  which  was  in  keeping 
with  the  colour  the  cold  wind  had  brought  into  the  deli- 
cate oval  face.  The  man  glanced  at  her  a  moment,  and 
then  apparently  found  that  a  trace  required  his  attention. 

"  I  am  glad  we  met  you,  Larry,"  said  the  girl.  "  Flo 
thanked  you  the  night  you  came  to  Cedar,  and  I  wanted 
to,  but,  while  you  know  why  I  couldn't,  I  would  not  like 
you  to  think  it  was  very  unkind  of  me.  Whatever  my 
father  does  is  right,  you  see." 

167 


I 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  Of  course,"  said  Grant  gravely.  "  You  have  to  be- 
lieve it,  Hetty/' 

Hetty's  eyes  twinkled.  "  That  was  very  nice  of  you. 
Then  you  must  be  wrong.'' 

"  Well,"  said  Grant,  with  a  merry  laugh,  "  it  is  quite 
likely  that  I  am  now  and  then.  One  can  only  do  the 
best  he  can,  and  to  be  right  all  the  time  is  a  little  too 
much  to  expect  from  any  man." 

Miss  Schuyler,  who  was  talking  to  Breckenridge, 
turned  and  smiled,  and  Hetty  said,  ''  Then,  that  makes 
it  a  little  easier  for  me  to  admit  that  the  folks  I  belong  to 
go  just  a  little  too  far  occasionally.  Larry,  I  hate  to 
think  of  the  little  children  going  hungry.  Are  there  many 
of  them?" 

Grant's  face  darkened  for  a  moment.  "  I'm  afraid 
there  are  quite  a  few — and  sick  ones,  too,  lying  with 
about  half  enough  to  cover  them  in  sod-hovels." 

Hetty  shuddered  and  her  eyes  grew  pitiful,  for  since 
the  grim  early  days  hunger  and  want  had  been  unknown 
in  the  cattle  country.  **  If  I  want  to  do  something  for 
them  it  can't  be  very  wrong,"  she  said.  "  Larry,  you  will 
take  a  roll  of  bills  from  me,  and  buy  them  whatever  will 
make  it  a  little  less  hard  for  them?  " 

"No,"  said  Grant  quietly,  ''I  can't,  Hetty.  Your 
father  gives  you  that  money,  and  we  have  our  own  relief 
machinery." 

The  girl  laid  her  hand  upon  his  arm  appealingly.  "  I 
have  a  little  my  mother  left  me,  and  it  was  hers  before 
she  married  my  father.  Can't  you  understand?  I  am 
with  my  father,  and  would  not  lift  my  finger  to  help  you 
and  the  homestead-boys  against  him,  but  it  couldn't  do 
anybody  any  harm  if  I  sent  a  few  things  to  hungry  chil- 
dren.   You  have  just  got  to  take  those  dollars,  Larry." 

"  Then  I  dare  not  refuse,"  said  Grant,  after  thinking 

i68 


HETTY'S  BOUNTY 

a  moment.  "  They  need  more  than  we  can  give  them*. 
But  you  can't  send  me  the  dollars.'' 

"  No/'  said  Hetty,  *'  and  I  have  none  with  me  now. 
But  if  a  responsible  man  came  to  the  bluff  to-morrow^ 
night  at  eight  o'clock,  my  maid  could  slip  down  with  the; 
wallet — you  must  not  come.  It  would  be  too  dangerous. 
My  father,  and  one  or  two  of  the  rest,  are  very  bitter 
against  you.'^ 

**  Well,"  said  Grant,  smiling  gravely,  "a  responsible 
man  will  be  there.  There  are  folks  who  will  bless  you, 
Hetty." 

"  You  must  never  tell  them,  or  anybody,"  the  girl 
insisted. 

Grant  said  nothing  further,  and  led  his  team  past ;  but 
Hetty  noticed  the  shadow  in  his  bronzed  face  and  the 
wistfulness  in  his  eyes.  Then,  she  shook  the  reins,  and 
as  the  horses  plodded  up  the  slope  Miss  Schuyler  fancied^ 
that  she  sighed. 

In  the  meanwhile  Grant  got  into  his  sleigh,  and  Breck- 
enridge,  who  had  been  vanquished  by  Miss  Schuyler  in 
an  exchange  of  badinage,  found  him  somewhat  silent 
during  the  journey  to  Fremont  ranch.  He  retired  to 
rest  soon  after  they  reached  it,  and  set  out  again  before 
daylight  the  next  morning,  and  it  was  late  at  night  when 
he  came  back  very  weary,  with  his  garments  stiff  with 
frost.  The  great  bare  room  where  Breckenridge  awaited 
him  was  filled  with  a  fusty  heat,  and  as  he  came  in,  partly 
dazed  by  the  change  of  temperature.  Grant  did  not  see 
the  other  man  who  sat  amidst  the  tobacco-smoke  beside 
the  glowing  stove.  He  sank  into  a  hide  chair  limply, 
and  when  Breckenridge  glanced  at  him  inquiringly,  with 
numbed  fingers  dragged  a  wallet  out  of  his  pocket. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  ''  I  got  the  dollars.  I  don't  know  that 
it  was  quite  the  square  thing,  but  with  Harper's  wife 

169 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

and  the  Dutchman's  children  'most  starving  in  the  hol- 
low, I  felt  I  had  to  take  them.'' 

Breckenridge  made  a  little  warning  gesture,  and  the 
man  behind  the  stove,  reaching  forward,  picked  up  a 
packet  that  had  dropped  unnoticed  by  the  rest  when 
Grant  took  out  the  wallet. 

*'  You  seem  kind  of  played  out,  Larry,  and  I  guess 
you  didn't  know  you  dropped  the  thing,"  he  said. 

Grant  blinked  at  him;  for  a  man  who  has  driven  for 
many  hours  in  the  cold  of  the  Northwest  is  apt  to 
suffer  from  unpleasant  and  somewhat  bewildering  sensa- 
tions when  his  numbed  brain  and  body  first  throw  off  the 
effect  of  the  frost. 

"  No,"  he  said  unevenly.  "  Let  me  alone  a  minute.  I 
didn't  see  you." 

The  man,  who  was  one  of  the  homesteaders'  leaders 
in  another  vicinity,  sat  still  with  the  packet  in  his  hand 
until,  perhaps  without  any  intention  of  reading  it,  his 
eyes  rested  on  the  address.  Then  he  sat  upright  sud- 
denly and  stared  at  Grant. 

''  Do  you  know  what  you  have  got  here,  Larry?  "  he 
asked. 

Grant  stretched  out  his  hand  and  took  the  packet,  then 
laid  it  upon  the  table  with  the  address  downwards. 

"  It's  something  that  dropped  out  of  the  wallet,"  he 
said. 

The  other  man  laughed  a  little,  but  his  face  was  intent. 
"  Oh,  yes,  that's  quite  plain ;  but  if  I  know  the  writing  it's 
a  letter  with  something  in  it  from  Torrance  to  the  Sheriff. 
There's  no  mistaking  the  way  he  makes  the  '  g.'  Turn 
it  over  and  I'll  show  you." 

Grant  laid  a  brown  hand  on  the  packet.  "  No.  Do 
you  generally  look  at  letters  that  don't  belong  to  you, 
Chilton?" 

170 


HETTY'S  BOUNTY 

Breckenridge  saw  that  Grant  was  recovering,  and  that 
the  contemptuous  manner  of  his  question  was  inten- 
tional, and  guessed  that  his  comrade  had  intended  to 
sting  the  other  man  to  resentment,  and  so  lead  him  from 
the  point  at  issue.    Chilton  coloured,  but  he  persisted, 

"  Well,"  he  said,  **  I  guess  that  one  belongs  to  the 
committee.  I  didn't  mean  to  look  at  the  thing,  but,  now 
I'm  sure  of  it,  I  have  to  do  what  I  can  for  the  boys  who 
made  me  their  executive.  I  don't  ask  you  how  you  got 
it,  Larry.'' 

"  I  got  it  by  accident." 

Chilton  looked  astonished,  and  almost  incredulous. 
"  Well,  we  needn't  worry  over  that.  The  question  is, 
what  you're  going  to  do  with  it?  " 

**  I'm  going  to  send  it  back." 

Chilton  made  a  gesture  of  impatience.  "  That's  what 
you  can't  do.  As  we  know,  the  cattle-men  had  a  com- 
mittee at  Cedar  a  day  or  two  ago,  and  now  here's  a  packet 
stuffed  with  something  going  to  the  Sheriff.  Doesn't  it 
strike  you  yet  that  it's  quite  likely  there's  a  roll  of  dollar 
bills  and  a  letter  telling  him  what  he  has  to  do  inside  it  ?  " 

**  Well  ?  "  said  Grant,  seeing  that  he  must  face  the 
issue  sooner  or  later.  ^ 

"  We  don't  want  their  dollars,  but  that  letter's  worth 
a  pile  of  them  to  us.  We  could  get  it  printed  by  a  paper 
farther  east,  with  an  article  on  it  that  would  raise  a  howl 
from  everybody.  There  are  one  or  two  of  them  quite 
ready  for  a  chance  of  getting  a  slap  at  the  legislature, 
while  there's  more  than  one  man  who  would  be  glad  to 
hawk  it  round  the  lobbies.  Then  his  friends  would  have 
no  more  use  for  the  Sheriff,  and  we  might  even  get  a 
commission  sent  down  to  straighten  things  up  for  us." 

"  The  trouble  is  that  we  can't  make  any  use  of  it,'* 
said  Grant. 

171 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

*'  No?  "  said  Chilton,  and  the  men  looked  at  each  other 
steadily. 

"  No,"  repeated  Grant.  "  It  wasn't  meant  that  I  should 
get  it,  and  I'm  going  to  send  it  back." 

"  Then,  while  I  don't  want  to  make  trouble,  I'll  have 
to  mention  the  thing  to  my  committee." 

"  You'll  do  just  what  you  believe  is  right.  Any  way, 
we'll  have  supper  now.     It  will  be  ready." 

Chilton  stood  still  a  moment.  "  You  are  quite  straight 
with  us  in  this  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Grant,  "  but  I'm  not  going  to  give  you 
that  letter.  Are  you  coming  in  to  supper?  It  really 
wouldn't  commit  you  to  anything." 

"  I  am,"  said  Chilton  simply.  "  I  have  known  you 
quite  a  long  while,  and  your  assurance  is  good  enough 
for  me;  but  you  would  have  found  it  difficult  to  make 
other  folks  believe  you." 

They  sat  down  at  table,  and  Larry  smiled  as  he  said, 
**  It's  the  first  time  I  have  seen  your  scruples  spoil  your 
appetite,  Chilton,  but  I  had  a  notion  that  you  were  not 
quite  sure  about  taking  any  supper  from  me." 

"  Well,"  laughed  Chilton,  *'  that  just  shows  how  fool- 
ish a  man  can  be,  because  the  supper's  already  right  here 
inside  me.  When  I  came  in  Breckenridge  got  it  for  me. 
Still,  I  have  driven  a  long  way,  and  I  can  worry  through 
another." 

He  made  a  very  creditable  attempt,  and  when  he  had 
been  shown  to  his  room  Grant  glanced  at  Breckenridge. 

"  You  know  how  I  got  the  letter  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Breckenridge.  "  Miss  Torrance  must 
have  inadvertently  slipped  it  into  the  wallet.  You 
couldn't  have  done  anything  else,  Larry;  but  the  affair 
is  delicate  and  will  want  some  handling.  How  are  you 
going  to  get  the  packet  back  ?  " 

172 


HETTY'S  BOUNTY 

"  Take  it  myself/'  Grant  said  quietly. 

It  was  ten  o'clock  the  next  night,  and  Hetty  Torrance 
and  Miss  Schuyler  sat  talking  in  their  little  sitting-room. 
Torrance  was  away,  but  his  married  foreman,  who  had 
seen  service  in  New  Mexico,  and  his  wife,  slept  in  the 
house,  and  Cedar  Range  was  strongly  guarded.  Now 
and  then,  the  bitter  wind  set  the  door  rattling,  and  there 
was  a  snapping  in  the  stove;  but  when  the  gusts  passed 
the  ranch  seemed  very  still,  and  Miss  Schuyler  could  hear 
the  light  tread  of  the  armed  cow-boy  who,  perhaps  to 
keep  himself  warm,  paced  up  and  down  the  hall  below. 
There  was  another  at  a  window  in  the  corridor,  and  one 
or  two  more  on  guard  in  the  stores  and  stables. 

"Wasn't  Chris  Allonby  to  have  come  over  to-day?'^ 
asked  Miss  Schuyler. 

"  Yes,"  said  Hetty.  "  I'm  sorry  he  didn't.  I  have  a 
letter  for  the  Sheriff  to  give  him,  and  wanted  to  get  rid 
of  the  thing.  It  is  important,  and  I  fancy,  from  what 
my  father  told  me,  if  any  of  the  homestead-boys  got  it 
they  could  make  trouble  for  us.  Chris  is  to  ride  in  with 
it  and  hand  it  to  the  Sheriff." 

"  I  wouldn't  like  a  letter  of  that  kind  lying  round/* 
said  Miss  Schuyler.    "  Where  did  you  put  it,  Hetty?  " 

Hetty  laughed.  "  Where  nobody  would  ever  find  it — 
under  some  clothes  of  mine.  Talking  about  it  makes 
one  uneasy.  Pull  out  the  second  drawer  in  the  bureau, 
Flo." 

Miss  Schuyler  did  so,  and  Hetty  turned  over  a  bundle 
of  daintily  embroidered  linen.  Then,  her  face  grew  very 
grave,  she  laid  each  article  back  again  separately. 

"  Nothing  there !  "  said  Miss  Schuyler. 

Hetty's  fingers  quivered.  "  Pull  the  drawer  out,  Flo* 
No.  Never  mind  anything.  Shake  them  out  on  the 
floor/' 

173 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

It  was  done,  and  a  litter  of  garments  lay  scattered 
about  them,  but  no  packet  appeared,  and  Hetty  sat  down 
limply,  very  white  in  the  face. 

''  It  was  there,"  she  said,  "  by  the  wallet  with  the  dol- 
lars. It  must  have  got  inside  somehow,  and  I  sent  the 
wallet  to  Larry.    This  is  horrible,  Flo/' 

"Think!"  said  Miss  Schuyler.  "You  couldn't  have 
put  it  anywhere  else?  " 

"  No,"  said  Hetty  faintly.  "  If  the  wrong  people  got 
it,  it  would  turn  out  the  Sheriff  and  make  an  outcry 
everywhere.  That  is  what  I  was  told,  though  I  don't 
know  what  it  was  about." 

"  Still,  you  know  it  would  be  safe  with  Mr.  Grant." 

"  Yes,"  said  Hetty.  "  Larry  never  did  anything  mean 
in  his  life.  But  you  don't  understand,  Flo.  He  didn't 
know  it  was  there,  and  it  might  have  dropped  out  on  the 
prairie,  while,  even  if  he  found  it,  how  is  he  going  to  get 
it  back  to  me?  The  boys  would  fire  on  him  if  he  came 
here." 

Flora  Schuyler  looked  frightened.  "  You  will  have 
to  tell  your  father,  Hetty." 

Hetty  trembled  a  little.  "  It  is  going  to  be  the  hardest 
thing  I  ever  did.  He  is  just  dreadful  in  his  quietness 
when  he  is  angry — and  I  would  have  to  tell  him  I  had 
been  meeting  Larry  and  sending  him  dollars.  You  know 
what  he  would  fancy." 

It  was  evident  that  Hetty  was  very  much  afraid  of  her 
father,  and  as  clear  to  Miss  Schuyler  that  the  latter  would 
have  some  cause  for  unpleasant  suspicions.  Then,  the 
girl  turned  to  her  companion  appealingly. 

"Flo,"  she  said,  "tell  me  what  to  do.  The  thing 
frightens  me." 

Miss  Schuyler  slipped  an  arm  about  her.  "  Wait,'* 
she  said.    "  Your  father  will  not  be  here  until  noon  to- 

174 


HETTY'S  BOUNTY 

morrow,  and  that  letter  is  in  the  hands  of  a  very  honest 
man.    I  think  you  can  trust  him  to  get  it  back  to  you." 

"  But  he  couldn't  send  anybody  without  giving  me 
away,  and  he  knows  it  might  cost  him  his  liberty  to  come 
here,''  said  Hetty. 

"  I  scarcely  fancy  that  would  stop  him." 

Hetty  turned,  and  looked  at  her  friend  curiously. 
**  Flo,  I  wonder  how  it  would  have  suited  if  Larry  had 
been  fond  of  you." 

Miss  Schuyler  did  not  wince;  but  the  smile  that  was 
on  her  lips  was  absent  from  her  eyes.  *'  You  once  told 
me  I  should  have  him.  Are  you  quite  sure  you  would 
like  to  hand  him  over  now  ?  " 

Hetty  did  not  answer  the  question ;  instead,  she  blushed 
furiously.  "  We  are  talking  nonsense — and  I  don't  know 
how  I  can  face  my  father  to-morrow,"  she  said. 

It  was  at  least  an  hour  later,  and  the  cow-boy  below 
had  ceased  his  pacing,  when  Hetty,  who  felt  no  inclina- 
tion for  sleep,  fancied  she  heard  a  tapping  at  the  window. 
She  sprang  suddenly  upright,  and  saw  apprehension  in 
Miss  Schuyler's  face.  The  cow-boys  were  some  distance 
away,  and  a  little  verandah  ran  round  that  side  of  the 
house  just  below  the  window.  Flora  Schuyler  had  suffi- 
cient courage ;  but  it  was  not  of  the  kind  which  appears 
to  advantage  in  the  face  of  bodily  peril,  and  the  colour 
faded  in  her  cheeks.  It  was  quite  certain  now  that  some- 
body was  tapping  at  or  trying  to  open  the  window. 

"  Shake  yourself  together,  Flo,"  said  Hetty,  in  a  hoarse 
whisper.  "  When  I  tell  you,  turn  the  lamp  down  and 
open  the  door.    I  am  going  to  see  who  is  there." 

The  next  moment  she  had  opened  a  drawer  of  the 
bureau,  while  as  she  stepped  forward  with  something 
glinting  in  her  hand,  Flora  Schuyler,  who  heard  a  whis- 
pered word,  turned  the  lamp  right  out  in  her  confusion, 

175 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

and,  because  she  dared  not  stand  still,  crept  after  her 
companion.  With  a  swift  motion,  Hetty  drew  the  win- 
dow-curtains back,  and  Miss  Schuyler  gasped.  The  stars 
^ere  shining  outside,  and  the  dark  figure  of  a  man  was 
silhouetted  against  the  blue  clearness  of  the  night. 

"  Come  back,"  she  cried.  *'  Oh,  he's  coming  in. 
Hetty,  I  must  scream." 

Hetty's  fingers  closed  upon  her  arm  with  a  cruel  grip. 
"  Stop,"  she  said.  "  If  you  do,  they'll  shoot  him.  Don't 
be  a  fool,  Flo." 

It  was  too  dark  to  see  clearly,  but  Flora  Schuyler 
realized  with  a  painful  fluttering  of  her  heart  and  a  great 
relief  whose  the  white  face  outside  the  window  must  be. 


176 


XVI 

LARRY   SOLVES   THE  DIFFICULTY 

For  the  space  of  several  seconds  the  girls  stood  staring 
at  the  figure  outside  the  window.  Then,  the  man  turned 
sharply,  and  Hetty  gasped  as  she  heard  the  crunch  of 
footsteps  in  the  snow  below.  There  was  a  little  of  it  on 
the  verandah,  and  the  stars  shone  brilliantly. 

"  Catch  hold  of  the  frame  here,  Flo,"  she  said  breath- 
lessly.    *'  Now,  push  with  all  your  might." 

Miss  Schuyler  did  as  she  was  bidden.  The  double 
sashes  moved  with  a  sharp  creaking,  and  while  she 
shivered  as  the  arctic  cold  struck  through  her,  Hetty 
stretched  out  an  arm  and  drew  the  man  in.  Then  with 
a  tremendous  effort  she  shut  the  window  and  pulled  the 
curtains  together.  There  was  darkness  in  the  room  now, 
and  one  of  the  cow-boys  called  out  below. 

"  Hear  anything,  Jake?  " 

"  Somebody  shutting  a  door  in  the  house  there,"  said 
another  man,  and  Hetty,  passing  between  the  curtains, 
could  see  two  figures  move  across  the  snow,  and  the 
little  scintillation  from  something  that  was  carried  by 
one  of  them,  and  she  realized  that  they  had  very  narrowly 
averted  a  tragedy. 

"  Flo,"  she  said,  with  a  little  quiver  in  her  voice, 
"  light  the  lamp  quick.  If  they  see  the  room  dark  they 
might  come  up." 

Miss  Schuyler  was  unusually  clumsy,  but  at  last  the 
light  sprang  up,  and  showed  Larry  standing  just  inside 

177 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

the  curtain  with  the  dust  of  snow  on  his  fur  coat  and 
cap.  His  face  looked  a  Httle  less  bronzed  than  usual,  but 
he  showed  no  other  sign  of  discomposure.  Hetty  was 
very  pale  as  she  stood  in  front  of  him  with  the  pistol 
still  in  her  hand.  She  dropped  it  on  a  chair  with  a  shiver, 
and  broke  into  a  little  strained  laugh. 

"  You  are  quite  sure  they  didn't  see  you,  Larry  ?  You 
took  a  terrible  risk  just  now." 

Grant  smiled,  more  with  his  lips  than  his  eyes.  "  Yes," 
he  said,  "  I  guess  I  did.  I  taught  you  to  shoot  as  well  as 
most  men,  Hetty." 

Hetty  gasped  again  and  sank  limply  into  the  nearest 
chair.  "What  brought  you  here?"  she  said.  "Still, 
you  can't  get  away  now.    Sit  down,  Larry." 

Grant  sat  down  with  a  bow  to  Miss  Schuyler,  and 
fumbled  in  the  pocket  of  his  big  fur  coat.  "  I  came  to 
give  you  something  you  sent  me  by  mistake,"  he  said. 
"  I  would  not  have  come  this  way  if  I  could  have  helped 
it,  but  I  saw  there  was  a  man  with  a  rifle  every  here  and 
there  as  I  crept  up  through  the  bluff,  and  it  was  quite  a 
while  before  I  could  swing  myself  up  by  a  pillar  on  to 
the  verandah.  You  have  been  anxious  about  this, 
Hetty?" 

He  laid  a  packet  on  the  table,  and  Hetty's  eyes  shone 
as  she  took  it  up. 

"  Couldn't  you  have  given  it  to  somebody  to  bring  me  ? 
It  would  have  been  ever  so  much  safer,"  she  said. 

"  No,"  said  the  man  simply,  "  I  don't  think  I  could." 

Hetty  understood  him,  and  so  did  Miss  Schuyler,  while 
the  meaning  of  the  glance  her  companion  cast  at  her  was 
equally  plain.  Miss  Torrance's  face  was  still  pallid,  but 
there  was  pride  in  her  eyes. 

"  I  wonder  if  you  guessed  what  was  in  that  letter, 
Mr.  Grant  ?  "  Flora  Schuyler  asked. 

178 


LARRY  SOLVES  THE  DIFFICULTY 

"  Larry  smiled.     "  I  think  I  have  a  notion." 

"  Of  course ! ''  said  Hetty  impulsively.  "  We  knew 
you  had,  and  that  was  why  we  felt  certain  you  would  try 
to  bring  it  back  to  me." 

"  If  it  could  have  been  managed  in  a  different  fashion 
it  would  have  pleased  me  better/'  Grant  said,  with  a  little 
impatient  gesture.  "  I  am  sorry  I  frightened  you, 
Hetty." 

The  colour  crept  back  into  Hetty's  cheeks.  "  I  was 
frightened,  but  only  just  a  little  at  first,"  she  said.  "  It 
was  when  I  saw  who  it  was  and  heard  the  boys  below, 
that  I  grew  really  anxious." 

She  did  not  look  at  the  man  as  she  spoke;  but  it  was 
evident  to  Miss  Schuyler  that  he  understood  the  signifi- 
cance of  the  avowal. 

"  Then,"  he  said,  "  I  must  try  to  get  away  again  more 
quietly." 

"  You  can't,"  said  Hetty.  "  Not  until  the  man  by  the 
store  goes  away.  You  have  taken  too  many  chances 
already.  You  have  driven  a  long  way  in  the  cold.  Take 
off  that  big  coat,  and  Flo  will  make  you  some  coffee." 

Grant,  turning,  drew  the  curtains  aside  a  moment,  and 
let  them  fall  back  again.  Then,  he  took  off  the  big 
coat  and  sat  down  with  a  little  smile  of  contentment  be- 
side the  glowing  stove  on  which  Miss  Schuyler  was 
placing  a  kettle. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  I  am  afraid  you  will  have  to  put  up 
with  my  company  until  that  fellow  goes  away;  and  I 
need  not  tell  you  that  this  is  very  nice  for  me.  One 
hasn't  much  time  to  feel  it,  but  it's  dreadfully  lonely  at 
Fremont  now  and  then." 

Hetty  nodded  sympathetically,  for  she  had  seen  the 
great  desolate  room  at  Fremont  where  Grant  and  Breck- 
enridge  passed  the  bitter  nights  alone.    The  man's  half- 

179 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

audible  sigh  was  also  very  expressive,  for  after  his  grim 
life  he  found  the  brightness  and  daintiness  of  the  little 
room  very  pleasant.  It  was  sparely  furnished;  but  there 
was  taste  in  everything,  and  in  contrast  with  Fremont  its 
curtains,  rugs,  and  pictures  seemed  luxurious.  Without 
were  bitter  frost  and  darkness,  peril,  and  self-denial; 
within,  warmth  and  refinement,  and  the  companionship 
of  two  cultured  women  who  were  very  gracious  to  him. 
He  also  knew  that  he  had  shut  himself  out  from  the 
enjoyment  of  their  society  of  his  own  will,  that  he  had 
but  to  make  terms  with  Torrance,  and  all  that  one  side 
of  his  nature  longed  for  might  be  restored  to  him. 

Larry  was  as  free  from  sensuality  as  he  was  from 
asceticism ;  but  there  were  times  when  the  bleak  discom- 
fort at  Fremont  palled  upon  him,  as  did  the  loneliness 
and  half-cooked  food.  His  overtaxed  body  revolted  now 
and  then  from  further  exposure  to  Arctic  cold  and  the 
deprivation  of  needed  sleep,  while  his  heart  grew  sick 
with  anxiety  and  the  distrust  of  those  he  was  toiling  for. 
He  was  not  a  fanatic,  and  had  very  slight  sympathy  with 
the  iconoclast,  for  he  had  an  innate  respect  for  the  law, 
and  vague  aspirations  after  an  ampler  life  made  har- 
monious by  refinement,  as  well  as  a  half-comprehending 
reverence  for  all  that  was  best  in  art  and  music.  There 
are  many  Americans  like  him,  and  when  such  a  man 
turns  reformer  he  has  usually  a  hard  row,  indeed,  to  hoe. 

"What  do  you  do  up  there  at  nights?"  asked  Hetty. 

Larry  laughed.  "  Sometimes  Breckenridge  and  I  sit 
talking  by  the  stove,  and  now  and  then  we  quarrel. 
Breckenridge  has  taste,  and  generally  smooths  one  the 
right  way ;  but  there  are  times  when  I  feel  like  throwing 
things  at  him.  Then  we  sit  quite  still  for  hours  together 
listening  to  the  wind  moaning,  until  one  of  the  boys  comes 
in  to  tell  me  we  are  wanted,  and  it  is  a  relief  to  drive 

i8o 


LARRY  SOLVES  THE  DIFFICULTY 

until  morning  with  the  frost  at  fifty  below.  It  is  very- 
different  from  the  old  days  when  I  was  here  and  at 
Allonby's  two  or  three  nights  every  week." 

"  It  must  have  been  hard  to  give  up  what  you  did,'* 
said  Hetty,  with  a  diffidence  that  was  unusual  in  her. 
"  Oh,  I  know  you  did  it  willingly,  but  you  must  have 
found  it  was  very  different  from  what  you  expected.  I 
mean  that  the  men  you  wanted  to  smooth  the  way  for 
had  their  notions  too,  and  meant  to  do  a  good  deal  that 
could  never  please  you.  Suppose  you  found  they  didn't 
want  to  go  along  quietly,  making  this  country  better, 
but  only  to  trample  down  whatever  was  there  already?  " 

Flora  Schuyler  looked  up.  "  I  think  you  will  have  to 
face  that  question,  Mr.  Grant,"  she  said.  "  A  good  many 
men  of  your  kind  have  had  to  do  it  before  you.  Isn't  a 
faulty  ruler  better  than  wild  disorder?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Hetty  eagerly.  "  That  is  just  what  I 
mean.  If  you  saw  they  wanted  anarchy,  Larry,  you 
would  come  back  to  us?  We  should  be  glad  to  have 
you!" 

The  man  turned  his  eyes  away,  and  Flora  Schuyler 
saw  his  hands  quiver. 

"  No,"  he  said.  "  I  and  the  rest  would  have  to  teach 
them  what  was  good  for  them,  and  if  it  was  needful  try 
to  hold  them  in.  Whatever  they  did,  we  who  brought 
them  here  would  have  to  stand  in  with  them." 

Hetty  accepted  the  decision  in  his  tone,  and  sighed. 
*'  Well,"  she  said,  "  we  will  forget  it ;  and  Flo  has  the 
coffee  ready.  That  is  yours,  Larry,  and  here's  a  box  of 
crackers.  Now,  we'll  try  to  think  of  pleasant  things. 
It's  like  our  old-time  picnics.  Doesn't  it  remind  you  of 
the  big  bluff — only  we  had  a  black  kettle  then,  and  you 
made  the  fire  of  sticks  ?  There  was  the  day  you  shot  the 
willow  grouse.    It  isn't  really  so  very  long  ago ! " 

i8i 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  It  seems  years/'  said  the  man,  wistfully.  "  So  much 
has  happened  since." 

"  Well,"  said  Hetty,  "  I  can  remember  all  of  it  still — 
the  pale  blue  sky  behind  the  bluff,  with  the  little  curl  of 
grey  smoke  floating  up  against  it.  You  sat  by  the  fire, 
Larry,  roasting  the  grouse,  and  talking  about  what  could 
be  done  with  the  prairie.  It  was  all  white  in  the  sun- 
shine, and  empty  as  far  as  one  could  see,  but  you  told  me 
it  would  be  a  great  red  wheat-field  by  and  by.  I  laughed 
at  you  for  dreaming  things  that  couldn't  be,  but  we  were 
very  happy  that  day." 

Grant's  face  was  very  sad  for  a  moment,  but  he  turned 
to  Miss  Schuyler  with  a  little  smile.  "  Hetty  is  leaving 
you  out,"  he  said. 

**  I  wasn't  there,  you  see,"  Miss  Schuyler  said  quickly. 
"  Those  days  belong  to  you  and  Hetty." 

Hetty  glanced  at  her  sharply,  and  fancied  there  was  a 
slightly  strained  expression  in  the  smiling  face,  but  the 
next  moment  Miss  Schuyler  laughed. 

"  What  are  you  thinking,  Flo  ?  "  said  Hetty. 

"  It  was  scarcely  worth  mentioning.  I  was  wondering 
how  it  was  that  the  only  times  we  have  crossed  the  bridge 
we  met  Mr.  Grant." 

"  That's  quite  simple,"  said  Larry.  "  Each  time  it  was 
on  Wednesday,  and  I  generally  drive  round  to  see  if  I  am 
wanted  anywhere  that  day.  They  have  had  to  do  almost 
without  provisions  at  the  homesteads  in  the  hollow  lately. 
Your  dollars  will  be  very  welcome,  Hetty." 

Hetty  blushed  for  no  especial  reason,  except  that  when 
Grant  mentioned  Wednesday  she  felt  that  Flora  Schuy- 
ler's eyes  were  upon  her.    Then,  a  voice  rose  up  below. 

"Hello!  All  quiet,  Jake?" 

There  were  footsteps  in  the  snow  outside,  and  when 

182 


LARRY  SOLVES  THE  DIFFICULTY 

the  sentry  answered,  the  words  just  reached  those  who 
listened  in  the  room. 

"  I  had  a  kind  of  notion  I  saw  something  moving  in 
the  bluff,  but  I  couldn't  be  quite  sure,"  he  said.  "  There 
was  a  door  or  window  banged  up  there  on  the  verandah 
a  while  ago,  but  that  must  have  been  done  by  one  of  the 
women  in  the  house." 

Grant  rose  and  drew  back  the  curtain,  when,  after  a 
patter  of  footsteps,  the  voices  commenced  again. 

*'  Somebody  has  come  in  straight  from  the  bluff,"  said 
one  of  the  men.  "  You  can  see  where  he  has  been,  but 
I'm  blamed  if  I  can  figure  where  he  went  to  unless  it  was 
up  the  post  into  the  verandah,  and  he  couldn't  have  done 
that  without  Miss  Torrance  hearing  him.  I'll  stop  right 
here,  any  way,  and  I  wish  my  two  hours  were  up." 

"  I'm  that  stiff  I  can  scarcely  move,"  said  the  man 
relieved,  and  there  was  silence  in  the  room,  until  Hetty 
turned  to  the  others  in  dismay. 

**  He  is  going  to  stay  there  two  hours,  and  he  would 
see  us  the  moment  we  opened  the  window,"  she  said. 

Grant  quickly  put  on  his  big  fur  coat,  and  unnoticed, 
he  fancied,  slipped  one  hand  down  on  something  that 
was  girded  on  the  belt  beneath  it. 

"  I  must  get  away  at  once — through  the  house,"  he 
said. 

Hetty  had,  however,  seen  the  swift  motion  of  his 
hand. 

"There's  a  man  with  a  rifle  in  the  hall,"  she  said, 
shudderingly.    *'  Flo,  can't  you  think  of  something?  " 

Flora  Schuyler  looked  at  them  quietly.  "  I  fancy  it 
would  not  be  very  difficult  for  Mr.  Grant  to  get  away, 
but  the  trouble  is  that  nobody  must  know  he  has  been 
near  the  place.  That  is  the  one  thing  your  father  could 
not  forgive,  Hetty." 

183 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Hetty  turned  her  head  a  little,  but  Grant  nodded. 
"  Had  it  been  otherwise  I  should  have  gone  an  hour  ago/' 
he  said. 

"  Well/*  said  Flora  Schuyler,  with  a  curious  look  in 
her  face,  '*  while  I  fancy  we  can  get  you  away  unnoticed, 
if  anybody  did  see  you,  it  needn't  appear  quite  certain 
that  it  was  any  affair  with  Hetty  that  brought  you." 

"  No  ?  "  said  Hetty,  very  sharply.  "  What  do  you 
mean,  Flo  ?  " 

Miss  Schuyler  smiled  a  little  and  looked  Grant  in  the 
eyes.  "  What  would  appear  base  treachery  in  Hetty's 
case  would  be  less  astonishing  in  me.  Mr.  Grant,  you 
must  not  run  risks  again  to  talk  to  me,  but  since  you 
have  done  it  I  must  see  you  through.  You  are  sure  there 
is  only  one  cow-boy  in  the  hall,  Hetty?  " 

Hetty  turned  and  looked  at  them.  Flora  Schuyler  was 
smiling  bravely,  the  man  standing  still  with  grave  aston- 
ishment in  his  eyes. 

"  No,"  she  said,  with  quick  incisiveness,  "  I  can't  let 
you,  Flo/' 

"  I  don't  think  I  asked  your  permission,"  said  Miss 
Schuyler.  "  Could  you  explain  this  to  your  father, 
Hetty?  I  believe  he  would  not  be  angry  with  me.  Ad- 
venturous gallantry  is,  I  understand,  quite  approved  of 
on  the  prairie.  Call  your  maid.  Mr.  Grant,  will  you 
come  with  me  ?  " 

For  several  seconds  Hetty  stood  silent,  recognizing 
that  what  Torrance  might  smile  at  in  his  guest  would 
appear  almost  a  crime  in  his  daughter,  but  still  horribly 
unwilling.  Then,  as  Flora  Schuyler,  with  a  half-impa- 
tient gesture,  signed  to  Grant,  she  touched  a  little  gong, 
and  a  few  moments  later  her  maid  met  them  in  the  corri- 
dor. The  girl  stopped  suddenly,  gasping  a  little  as  she 
stared  at  Grant,  until  Hetty  grasped  her  arm,  nipping  it 
cruelly. 

184 


LARRY  SOLVES  THE  DIFFICULTY 

*^  If  you  scream  or  do  anything  silly  you  will  be  ever 
so  sorry,"  she  said.  **  Go  down  into  the  hall  and  talk  to 
Jo.  Keep  him  where  the  stove  is,  with  his  back  to  the 
door." 

"  But  how  am  I  to  do  it?  "  the  girl  asked. 

"  Take  him  something  to  eat,"  Miss  Schuyler  said  im- 
patiently. ''  Any  way,  it  should  not  be  hard  to  fool  him — 
I  have  seen  him  looking  at  you.  Now,  I  wonder  if  that 
grey  dress  of  mine  would  fit  you — I  have  scarcely  had  it 
on,  but  it's  a  little  too  tight  for  me." 

The  girl's  eyes  glistened,  she  moved  swiftly  down  the 
corridor.  Flora  Schuyler  laughed,  and  Grant  looked  away. 

"  Larry,"  said  Hetty,  ''  it  isn't  just  what  one  would 
like — but  I  am  afraid  it  is  necessary." 

Five  minutes  later  Hetty  moved  across  the  hall,  mak- 
ing a  little  noise,  so  that  the  cow-boy,  who  stood  near  the 
other  end  of  it,  with  the  maid  close  by  him,  should  notice 
her.  She  softly  opened  the  outer  door,  and  then  came 
back  and  signed  to  Grant  and  Flora  Schuyler,  who  stood 
waiting  in  the  corridor. 

"  No,"  he  said,  and  the  lamplight  showed  a  darker  hue 
than  the  bronze  of  frost  and  sun  in  his  face.  **  Miss 
Schuyler,  I  have  never  felt  quite  so  mean  before,  and 
you  will  leave  the  rest  to  me." 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  she  said  coolly,  '*  that  what  you  feel 
does  not  count  for  much.  Just  now  you  have  to  do  what 
is  best  for  everybody.    Stoop  as  low  as  you  can." 

She  stretched  out  her  hand  with  a  little  imperious  ges- 
ture, and  laid  it  on  his  arm,  drawing  herself  up  to  her 
full  height  as  she  stood  between  him  and  the  light.  They 
moved  forward  together,  and  Hetty  closed  her  hand  as 
she  watched  them  pass  into  the  hall.  The  end  was  dim 
and  shadowy,  for  the  one  big  lamp  that  was  lighted  stood 

185 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

some  distance  away  by  the  stove,  where  the  man  on  watch 
w^as  talking  to  the  maid.  Hetty  reaUzed  that  the  girl  was 
playing  her  part  well  as  she  saw  her  make  a  swift  step 
backwards,  and  heard  the  man's  low  laugh. 

Flora  Schuyler  and  Grant  were  not  far  from  the  door 
now,  the  girl  walking  close  to  her  companion.  In  an- 
other moment  they  would  have  passed  out  of  sight  into 
the  shadow,  but  while  Hetty  felt  her  fingers  trembling, 
the  man  on  watch,  perhaps  hearing  their  footsteps,  turned 
round. 

"  Hallo !  "  he  said.  "  It  seems  kind  of  cold.  What 
can  Miss  Schuyler  want  with  opening  the  door?  Is  that 
Miss  Torrance  behind  her?" 

He  moved  forward  a  pace,  apparently  not  looking 
where  he  was  going,  but  towards  the  door,  and  might 
have  moved  further,  but  that  the  maid  swiftly  stretched 
out  one  foot,  and  a  chair  with  the  tray  laid  on  it  went 
over  with  a  crash. 

*'  Now  there's  going  to  be  trouble.  See  what  youVe 
done,"  she  said. 

The  man  stopped,  staring  at  the  wreck  upon  the  floor. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  ''  Vm  blamed  if  I  touched  the  thing. 
What  made  it  fall  over,  any  way  ?  " 

"  Pick  them  up,"  the  girl  said  sharply.  "  You  don't 
want  to  make  trouble  for  me !  " 

He  stooped,  and  Hetty  gasped  with  relief  as  she  saw 
him  carefully  scraping  some  dainty  from  the  floor,  for 
just  then  one  of  the  two  figures  slipped  away  from  the 
other,  and  there  was  a  sound  that  might  have  been  made 
by  a  softly  closing  door.  The  cow-boy  looked  up  quickly, 
and  saw  Miss  Torrance  and  Miss  Schuyler  standing  close 
together,  then  stood  up  as  they  came  towards  him.  Hetty 
paused  and  surveyed  the  overturned  crockery,  and  then, 
though  her  heart  was  throbbing  painfully,  gave  the  man 

i86 


LARRY  SOLVES  THE  DIFFICULTY 

a  glance  of  ironical  inquiry.  He  looked  at  the  maid  as 
if  for  inspiration,  but  she  stood  meekly  still,  the  picture 
of  bashful  confusion. 

"  I'm  quite  sorry,  Miss  Torrance,"  he  said.  "  The 
concerned  thing  went  over." 

Hetty  laughed.  "  Well,"  she  said,  "  it's  a  very  cold 
night,  and  Lou  can  get  you  some  more  supper.  She  is, 
however,  not  to  stay  here  a  minute  after  she  has  given 
it  you." 

She  went  out  with  Miss  Schuyler,  and  the  two  stood 
very  silent  by  a  window  in  the  corridor.  One  of  them 
fancied  she  saw  a  shadowy  object  slip  round  the  corner  of 
a  barn,  but  could  not  be  sure,  and  for  five  very  long  min- 
utes they  stared  at  the  faintly  shining  snow.  Nothing 
moved  upon  it,  and  save  for  the  maid's  voice  in  the  hall, 
the  great  building  was  very  still.  Hetty  touched  Miss 
Schuyler's  arm. 

*'  He  has  got  away,"  she  said.  "  Come  back  with  me. 
I  don't  feel  like  standing  up  any  longer." 

They  sat  down  limply  when  they  returned  to  the  little 
room,  and  though  Miss  Schuyler  did  not  meet  her  com- 
panion's gaze,  there  was  something  that  did  not  seem  to 
please  the  latter  in  her  face. 

"  Flo,"  she  said,  '*  one  could  almost  fancy  you  felt  it 
as  much  as  I  did.    It  was  awfully  nice  of  you." 

Miss  Schuyler  smiled,  though  there  was  a  tension  in 
her  voice.  "  Of  course  I  felt  it,"  she  said.  '*  Hetty,  I'd 
watch  that  maid  of  yours.    She's  too  clever." 

Hetty  said  nothing  for  a  moment,  then,  suddenly  cross- 
ing the  room,  she  stooped  down  and  kissed  Miss  Schuyler. 

"  I  have  never  met  any  one  who  would  do  as  much  for 
me  as  you  would,  Flo,"  she  said.  "  I  don't  think  there 
is  anything  that  could  come  between  us." 

There  was  silence  for  another  moment,  and  during  it 
Miss  Schuyler  looked  steadily  into  Hetty's  eyes.    "  No^j'* 

187 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

she  said,  "  although  you  do  not  seem  quite  sure,  I  don't 
think  there  is." 

It  was  early  the  next  morning  when  Christopher  Al- 
lonby  arrived  at  the  Range.  He  smiled  as  he  glanced  at 
the  packet  Hetty  handed  him. 

"  I  have  never  seen  your  father  anything  but  precise," 
he  said. 

"  Has  anything  led  you  to  fancy  that  he  has  changed  ?  " 
asked  Hetty. 

Allonby  laughed  as  he  held  out  the  packet.  "  The 
envelope  is  all  creased  and  crumpled.  It  might  have  been 
carried  round  for  ever  so  long  in  somebody's  pocket. 
Now,  I  know  you  don't  smoke,  Hetty." 

"  There  is  no  reason  why  I  should  not,  but,  as  it  hap- 
pens, I  don't,"  said  Miss  Torrance. 

"  Then,  the  packet  has  a  most  curious,  cigar-like 
smell,"  said  Allonby,  smiling.  "  Now,  I  don't  think  Mr. 
Torrance  carries  loose  cigars  and  letters  about  with  him 
together.  I  wonder  what  deduction  one  could  make  from 
this." 

Hetty  glanced  at  Miss  Schuyler.  "  You  could  never 
make  the  right  one^  Chris,"  she  said. 

Allonby  said  nothing  further  and  went  out  with  the 
letter ;  a  day  or  two  later  he  handed  it  to  the  Sheriff. 

"  I  guess  you  know  what's  inside  it?  "  said  the  latter. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  lad.  "  I  want  to  see  you  count  them 
now." 

The  Sheriff  glanced  at  him  sharply,  took  out  a  roll  of 
bills  and  flicked  them  over. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "that's  quite  right;  but  one  piece  of 
what  I  have  to  do  is  going  to  be  difficult." 

"Which?"  said  Allonby. 

"  Well,"  said  the  Sheriff,  "  I  guess  you  know.  I  mean 
the,  getting  hold  of  Larry." 

i88 


XVII 
Larry's  peril 

One  afternoon  several  days  later,  Christopher  AUonby 
drove  over  to  Cedar  Range,  and,  though  he  endeavoured 
to  hide  his  feelings,  was  evidently  disconcerted  when  he 
discovered  that  Miss  Schuyler  and  Hetty  were  alone. 
Torrance  had  affairs  of  moment  on  hand  just  then,  and 
was  absent  from  Cedar  Range  frequently. 

''  One  could  almost  have  fancied  you  were  not  pleased 
to  see  us,  and  would  sooner  have  talked  to  Mr.  Torrance," 
said  Miss  Schuyler. 

The  lad  glanced  at  her  reproachfully. 

"  Hetty  knows  how  diffident  I  am,  but  it  seems  to  me 
a  lady  with  your  observation  should  have  seen  the  grati- 
fication I  did  not  venture  to  express." 

"  It  was  not  remarkably  evident,"  said  Miss  Schuyler. 
"  In  fact,  when  you  heard  Mr.  Torrance  was  not  here 
I  fancied  I  saw  something  else." 

"  I  was  thinking,"  said  Allonby,  "  wondering  how  I 
could  be  honest  and,  at  the  same  time,  complimentary  to 
everybody.  It  was  quite  difficult.  People  like  me  gen- 
erally think  of  the  right  thing  afterwards,  you  see." 

Hetty  shook  her  head.  "  Sit  down,  and  don't  talk 
nonsense,  Chris,"  she  said.  "  You  shouldn't  think  too 
much;  when  you're  not  accustomed  to  it,  it  isn't  wise. 
What  brought  you  ?  " 

.  "  I  had  a  message  for  your  father,"  said  the  lad,  and 

189 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Flora  Schuyler  fancied  she  saw  once  more  the  signs  of 
embarrassment  in  his  face. 

"  Then/'  said  Hetty,  "  you  can  tell  it  me/* 

"  There's  a  good  deal  of  it,  and  it's  just  a  little  con- 
fusing," said  AUonby. 

Flora  Schuyler  glanced  at  Hetty,  and  then  smiled  at 
the  lad.  "  That  is  certainly  not  complimentary,"  she 
said.  "  Don't  you  think  Hetty  and  I  could  remember 
anything  that  you  can  ?  " 

Allonby  laughed.  "  Of  course  you  could.  But,  I  had 
my  instructions.  I  was  told  to  give  Mr.  Torrance  the 
message  as  soon  as  I  could,  without  troubling  anybody.'* 

"  Then  it  is  of  moment  ?  " 

"  Yes.  That  is,  we  want  him  to  know,  though  there's 
really  nothing  in  it  that  need  worry  anybody." 

"  Then,  it  is  unfortunate  that  my  father  is  away/'  said 
Hetty. 

Allonby  sat  silent*  a  moment  or  two,  apparently  reflect- 
ing, and  then  looked  up  suddenly,  as  though  he  had  found 
the  solution  of  the  difficulty. 

"  I  could  write  him." 

Hetty  laughed.  *^  That  was  an  inspiration!  You  can 
be  positively  brilliant,  Chris.  You  will  find  paper  and 
special  envelopes  in  the  office,  as  well  as  a  big  stick  of 
sealing-wax/' 

Allonby,  who  appeared  unable  to  find  a  neat  rejoinder, 
went  out ;  and  when  he  left  Flora  Schuyler  smiled  as  she 
saw  the  carefully  fastened  envelope  lying  on  Torrance's 
desk,  as  well  as  something  else.  Torrance  was  fastidi- 
ously neat,  and  the  blotting  pad  from  which  the  soiled 
sheets  had  been  removed  bore  the  impress  of  Christopher 
AUonby's  big,  legible  writing.  It  was,  however,  a  little 
blurred,  and  Miss  Schuyler,  who  had  her  scruples,  made 
no  attempt  to  read  it  then.    It  was  the  next  afternoon, 

190 


LARRY'S  PERIL 

and  Torrance  had  not  yet  returned,  when  a  mounted  man 
rode  up  to  the  Range,  and  was  shown  into  the  room  where 
the  girls  sat  together. 

'*  Mr.  Clavering  will  be  kind  of  sorry  Mr.  Torrance 
wasn't  here,  but  he  has  got  it  fixed  quite  straight/'  he 
said. 

"  What  has  he  fixed  ?  "  said  Hetty. 

"  Well,"  said  the  man,  "  your  father  knows,  and  I 
don't,  though  I've  a  kind  of  notion  we  are  after  one  of 
the  homestead-boys.  Any  way,  what  I  had  to  tell  him 
was  this.  He  could  ride  over  to  the  Cedar  Bluff  at  about 
six  this  evening  with  two  or  three  of  the  boys,  if  it  suited 
him,  but  if  it  didn't,  Mr.  Clavering  would  put  the  thing 
through." 

Hetty  asked  one  or  two  leading  questions,  but  the  man 
had  evidently  nothing  more  to  tell,  and  when  he  went  out, 
the  two  girls  looked  at  one  another  in  silence.  Hetty's 
eyes  were  anxious  and  her  face  more  colourless  than 
usual. 

"  Flo,"  she  said  sharply,  "  are  we  thinking  the  same 
thing?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Miss  Schuyler.  "  You  have  not 
told  me  your  notions  yet.  Still,  this  is  clear  to  both  of  us, 
Mr.  Clavering  expects  to  meet  somebody  at  the  Cedar 
Bluff,  and  your  father  Is  to  bring  two  or  three  men  with 
him.    The  question  is,  what  could  they  be  wanted  for?  " 

"  No,"  said  Hetty,  with  a  little  quiver  in  her  voice,  "  it 
is  who  they  expect  to  meet.  You  know  what  day  this 
is?" 

"  Wednesday." 

Once  more  there  was  silence  for  a  few  seconds,  but 
the  thoughts  of  the  two  girls  were  unconcealed  now,  and 
when  she  spoke  Hetty  closed  her  hand. 

191 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  Think,  Flo.     There  must  be  no  uncertainty." 
Miss  Schuyler  slipped  out  of  the  room  and  when  she 
came  back  she  brought  an  envelope,  splashed  with  red 
wax,  on  a  blotting  pad. 

"  There's  the  key.    All  is  fair — in  war !  "  she  said. 

A  pink  tinge  crept  into  Hetty's  cheeks,  and  a  sparkle 
into  her  eyes  as  she  looked  at  her  companion. 

**  Don't  make  me  angry  with  you,  Flo,"  she  said.  "  We 
can't  read  it." 

"  No  ?  "  said  Miss  Schuyler  quietly,  holding  up  the 
pad.  "  Now  I  think  we  can.  This  is  another  manifesta- 
tion of  the  superiority  of  the  masculine  mind.  Give  me 
your  hand-glass,  Hetty." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Hetty,  with  a  little  gasp.  "  Still- 
it's  horribly  mean." 

There  was  a  slightly  contemptuous  hardness  in  Flora 
Schuyler's  eyes.  "  If  you  let  the  man  who  rides  by  the 
blufif  on  Wednesdays  fall  into  Clavering's  hands,  it  would 
be  meaner  still." 

The  next  moment  Hetty  was  out  of  the  room,  and  Miss 
Schuyler  sat  down  with  a  face  that  had  grown  suddenly 
weary.  But  it  betrayed  nothing  when  Hetty  came  back 
with  the  glass,  and  when  she  held  up  the  blotter  in  hands 
that  were  perfectly  steady,  they  read : 

"  I  have  fixed  it  with  the  Sheriff.  Clavering's  boys 
had,  as  you  guessed,  been  watching  for  Larry  on  the 
WTong  day ;  but  now  we  have  found  out  it  is  Wednesday 
we'll  make  sure  of  him.  If  you  care  to  come  around  to 
the  bluff  about  six  that  night,  you  will  probably  see  us 
seize  him ;  but  if  you  would  sooner  stand  out  in  this  case, 
it  wouldn't  count.     We  don't  expect  any  difficulty." 

Hetty  flushed  crimson.  "  Flo,"  she  said,  "  it  was  the 
letter  arranging  his  own  arrest  he  brought  me  back." 

192 


LARRY'S  PERIL 

*'  That  is  not  the  point/'  said  Miss  Schuyler  sharply. 
"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ? '' 

Hetty  laughed  mockingly.  "  You  and  I  are  going  to 
drive  over  to  the  Newcombes  and  stay  the  night.  You 
get  nervous  when  my  father  is  away.  But  we  are  not 
going  there  quite  straight;  and  you  had  better  put  your 
warmest  things  on." 

An  hour  later  two  of  the  best  horses  in  Torrance's 
stable  drew  the  lightest  sleigh  up  to  the  door,  and  Miss 
Schuyler  turned  with  a  smile  to  the  remonstrating  house- 
keeper. 

"  Nothing  would  induce  me  to  stay  here  another  night 
when  Mr.  Torrance  was  away,"  she  said.  "  You  can 
tell  him  that,  if  he  is  vexed  with  Hetty,  and  you  needn't 
worry.  We  will  be  safe  at  Mrs.  Newcombe's  before  an 
hour  is  over." 

The  housekeeper  shook  her  head.  "  I  guess  not.  It's 
a  league  round  by  the  bridge^  and  you  couldn't  find  the 
other  trail  in  the  dark." 

Miss  Schuyler  laughed.  "  Then,  look  at  the  time,  and 
we'll  let  you  know  when  we  get  there,"  she  said. 

Hetty  whipped  the  team,  and  with  a  whirling  of  dusty 
snow  beneath  the  runners,  they  swept  away.  Both  sat 
silent,  until  the  beat  of  hoofs  rang  amidst  the  trees  as 
they  swept  through  the  gloom  of  the  big  bluff  at  a  gallop, 
and  Hetty  laughed  excitedly. 

"  Hold  fast,  Flo.  You  did  that  very  well ;  but  we  have 
our  alibi  to  prove,  and  are  not  going  near  the  bridge," 
she  said. 

She  flicked  the  horses,  and  the  trees  swept  away  be- 
hind them  and  the  long  white  levels  rolled  back  faster 
yet  to  the  drumming  hoofs.  The  rush  of  cold  wind  stung 
Miss  Schuyler's  face  like  the  lash  of  a  whip,  her  eyes 
grew  hazy,  and  she  held  the  furs  about  her  as  she  swayed 

193 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

with  the  lurching  of  the  sleigh.  Darkness  was  closing  in 
when  they  came  to  the  forking  of  the  trail,  and,  with  a 
little  cry  of  warning,  Hetty  lashed  the  team.  The  lurches 
grew  sharper,  and  Miss  Schuyler  gasped  now  and  then 
as  she  felt  the  sleigh  swing  rocking  down  a  long  declivity. 
Scattered  birches  raced  up  out  of  it,  and  the  hammering 
beat  of  hoofs  swelled  into  a  roar  as  it  rolled  along  a 
thicker  belt  of  trees. 

They  rose  higher  and  higher,  a  dusky  wall  athwart  the 
way,  and  Miss  Schuyler  felt  for  a  better  hold  for  her 
feet,  and  grasped  the  big  strapped  robe  as  she  looked  in 
vain  for  any  opening.  That  team  had  done  nothing  for 
more  than  a  week,  and  there  was  no  stinting  of  oats  and 
maize  at  Cedar.  Hetty,  however,  did  not  attempt  to 
hold  them,  but  sat  swaying  to  the  jolting,  leaning  for- 
ward as  the  shadowy  barrier  rushed  up  towards  them, 
until,  before  she  quite  realized  how  they  got  there,  Miss 
Schuyler  found  herself  hurled  forward  down  what  ap- 
peared to  be  a  steadily  sloping  tunnel.  Dim  trees  swept 
by  and  drooping  boughs  lashed  at  her.  Now  and  then 
there  was  a  sharp  crackling  or  a  sickening  lurch,  and  still 
they  sped  on  furiously,  until  a  faint  white  shining  ap- 
peared ahead. 

"  What  is  it?  "  she  gasped. 

"The  river,"  said  Hetty.  "Hold  fast!  There's  a 
piece  like  a  toboggan-leap  quite  near." 

She  flung  herself  backwards  as  the  lace-like  birch  twigs 
smote  her  furs;  and  when  one  of  the  horses  stumbled 
Miss  Schuyler  with  difficulty  stifled  a  cry.  The  beast, 
however,  picked  up  its  stride  again,  there  was  a  lurch, 
and  the  rocking  sleigh  appeared  to  leap  clear  of  the  snow. 
A  crash  followed,  and  they  were  flying  out  of  the  shadow 
again  across  a  strip  of  faintly  shining  plain  with  another 
belt  of  dusky  trees  rolling  back  towards  them*    Beyond 

194 


LARRY'S  PERIL 

them,  low  in  the  soft  indigo,  a  pale  star  was  shining. 
Hetty  glanced  at  it  as  she  shook  the  reins,  and  once  more 
something  in  her  laugh  stirred  Miss  Schuyler. 

"  I  know  when  that  star  comes  out,"  she  said.  "  If 
Larry's  only  there  we  can  warn  him  and  make  our  ride 
on  time." 

In  another  minute  they  were  in  among  the  trees,  and 
Hetty,  springing  down,  plodded  through  the  loose  snow 
at  the  horses'  heads,  urging  them  with  hand  and  voice 
up  the  incline  which  wound  tortuously  into  the  darkness. 
Now  and  then,  one  of  them  stumbled,  and  there  was  a 
great  trampling  of  hoofs,  but  the  girl's  mittened  hand 
never  loosed  its  grasp ;  and  it  was  with  a  little  breathless 
run  she  clutched  the  sleigh  and  swung  herself  in  when 
the  team  swept  out  on  the  level  again.  Still,  at  least  a 
minute  had  passed  before  she  had  the  horses  in  hand. 
The  trail  forked  again  somewhere  in  the  dimness  they 
were  flashing  through,  and  it  was  difficult  to  see  the 
dusky  smear  at  all. 

A  lurch  that  flung  Miss  Schuyler  against  her  showed 
that  Hetty  had  found  the  turning ;  and  a  little  later,  with 
a  struggle,  she  checked  the  team,  and  they  slid  behind  one 
of  the  low,  rolling  rises  that  seamed  the  prairie  here  and 
there.  There  was  no  wind  in  the  hollow  behind  it  and 
a  great  stillness  under  the  high  vault  of  blue  studded  with 
twinkling  stars.  The  dim  whiteness  of  a  long  ridge  cut 
sharply  against  it,  and  the  pale  colouring  and  frosty 
glitter  conveyed  the  suggestion  of  pitiless  cold.  Flora 
Schuyler  shivered,  and  drew  the  furs  closer  round  her. 

"  Is  this  the  place?  "  she  asked. 

"  Yes,"  said  Hetty,  with  a  little  gasp.  "  If  we  don't 
meet  him  here  he  will  have  passed  or  gone  by  the  other 
trail,  and  it  will  be  too  late  to  stop  him.  Can  you  hear 
anything,  Flo?" 

195 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Miss  Schuyler  strained  her  ears,  but,  though  the  horses 
were  walking  now,  she  could  hear  nothing.  The  deep 
silence  round  them  was  emphasized  by  the  soft  trample  of 
the  hoofs  and  thin  jingle  of  steel  that  seemed  unreal  and 
out  of  place  there  in  the  wilderness  of  snow  and  stars. 

"  No,"  she  said,  in  a  strained  voice ;  "  I  can  hear  noth- 
ing at  all.    It  almost  makes  one  afraid  to  listen." 

They  drove  slowly  for  a  minute  or  two,  and  then 
Hetty  pulled  up  the  team.  *'  I  can't  go  on,  and  it  is  worse 
to  stand  still,"  she  said.  "  Flo,  if  he  didn't  stop — and  he 
wouldn't — they  would  shoot  him.  He  must  be  coming. 
Listen.  There's  a  horrible  buzzing  in  my  ears — I  can't 
hear  at  all." 

Miss  Schuyler  listened  for  what  appeared  an  intermina- 
ble time,  and  wondered  afterwards  that  she  had  borne 
the  tension  without  a  sign.  The  great  stillness  grew 
overwhelming  now  the  team  had  stopped,  and  there  was 
that  in  the  utter  cold  and  sense  of  desolation  that  weighed 
her  courage  down.  She  felt  her  insignificance  in  the  face 
of  that  vast  emptiness  and  destroying  frost,  and  wondered 
at  the  rashness  of  herself  and  Hetty  and  Larry  Grant 
who  had  ventured  to  believe  they  could  make  any  change 
in  the  great  inexorable  scheme  of  which  everything  that 
was  to  be  was  part.  Miss  Schuyler  was  not  fanciful,  but 
during  the  last  hour  she  had  borne  a  heavy  strain,  and 
the  deathly  stillness  of  the  northwestern  waste  under  the 
Arctic  frost  is  apt  to  leave  its  impress  on  the  most 
unimaginative. 

Suddenly  very  faint  and  far  off,  a  rh3^thmic  throbbing 
crept  out  of  the  darkness,  and  Flora  Schuyler,  who,  fear- 
ing her  ears  had  deceived  her  at  first,  dared  not  speak, 
felt  her  chilled  blood  stir  when  Hetty  flung  back  her  head. 

"  Flo — can't  you  hear  it  ?    Tell  me !  " 

196 


LARRY'S  PERIL 

Miss  Schuyler  nodded,  for  she  could  not  trust  her 
voice  just  then;  but  the  sound  had  grown  louder  while 
she  listened  and  now  it  seemed  flung  back  by  the  rise. 
Then,  she  lost  it  altogether  as  Hetty  shook  the  reins  and 
the  sleigh  went  on  again.  In  a  few  minutes,  however, 
there  was  an  answer  to  the  thud  of  hoofs,  and  another 
soft  drumming  that  came  quivering  through  it  sank  and 
swelled  again.  By  and  by  a  clear,  musical  jingling  broke 
in,  and  at  last,  when  a  moving  object  swung  round  a 
bend  of  the  rise,  a  voice  that  rang  harsh  and  commanding 
reached  them. 
I  "  Pull  right  up  there,  and  wait  until  we  see  who  you 

are,"  it  said. 

"  L^rry ! "  cried  Hetty ;  and  the  second  time  her 
strained  voice  broke  and  died  away.    "  Larry! '' 

It  was  less  than  a  minute  later  when  a  sleigh  stopped 
close  in  front  of  them,  and,  leaving  one  man  in  it.  Grant 
sprang  stiffly  down.  It  took  Hetty  a  minute  or  two  more 
to  make  her  warning  plain,  and  Miss  Schuyler  found  it 
necessary  to  put  in  a  word  of  amplification  occasionally. 
Then,  Grant  signed  to  the  other  man. 

"  Will  you  drive  Miss  Schuyler  slowly  in  the  direction 
she  was  going,  Breckenridge  ?  "  he  said.    "  Hetty,  I  want 
I     to  talk  to  you,  and  can't  keep  you  here." 

Hetty  was  too  cold  to  reflect,  and,  almost  before  she 
knew  how  he  had  accomplished  it,  found  herself  in 
Grant's  sleigh  and  the  man  piling  the  robes  about  her. 
When  he  wheeled  the  horses  she  was  only  conscious  that 
he  was  very  close  to  her  and  that  Breckenridge  and  Miss 
Schuyler  were  driving  slowly  a  little  distance  in  front  of 
them.  Then,  glancing  up,  as  though  under  compulsion, 
she  saw  that  Grant  was  looking  down  upon  her. 

**  It  is  not  what  I  meant  to  tell  you,  but  doesn't  this 
remind  you  of  old  times,  Hetty  ?  "  he  said. 

197 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

**  I  don't  want  to  remember  them — and  what  have  they 
to  do  with  what  concerns  us  now  ?  "  said  the  girl. 

There  was  a  new  note  in  the  man's  voice  that  was 
almost  exultant  in  its  quietness.  "  A  good  deal,  I  think. 
Hetty,  if  you  hadn't  driven  so  often  beside  me  here, 
would  you  have  done  what  you  have  to-night?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  girl  tremulously. 

"  No,"  Grant  said.  "  You  have  done  a  rash  as  well 
as  a  very  generous  thing." 

"  It  was  rash ;  but  what  could  I  do?  We  were,  as  you 
remind  me,  good  friends  once." 

"  Yes,"  he  said.  "  I  can't  thank  you,  Hetty — thanks 
of  any  kind  wouldn't  be  adequate — and  there  is  nothing 
else  I  can  offer  to  show  my  gratitude,  because  all  I  had 
was  yours  already.  You  have  known  that  a  long  while, 
haven't  you  ?  " 

The  girl  looked  away  from  him.  "  I  was  not  good 
enough  to  understand  its  value  at  first,  and  when  I  did 
I  tried  to  make  you  take  it  back." 

"  I  couldn't,"  he  said  gently.  "  It  was  perhaps  worth 
very  little ;  but  it  was  all  I  had,  and — since  that  day  by 
the  river — I  never  asked  for  anything  in  return.  It  was 
very  hard  not  to  now  and  then,  but  I  saw  that  you  had 
only  kindness  to  spare  for  me." 

"  Then  why  do  you  talk  of  it  again  ?  " 

"  I  think,"  said  Grant  very  quietly,  "  it  is  different 
now.  After  to-night  nothing  can  be  quite  the  same  again. 
Hetty,  dear,  if  you  had  missed  me  and  I  had  ridden  on 
to  the  bridge " 

"  Stop ! "  said  the  girl  with  a  shiver.  '*  I  dare  not 
think  of  it.  Larry,  can't  you  see  that  just  now  you  must 
not  talk  in  that  strain  to  me?  " 

"  But  there  is  a  difference?  "  and  Grant  looked  at  her 
steadily. 

198 


LARRY'S  PERIL 

For  a  moment  the  girl  returned  his  gaze,  her  face 
showing  very  white  in  the  faint  Hght  flung  up  by  the 
snow ;  but  she  sat  very  straight  and  still,  and  the  man's 
passion  suddenly  fell  from  him. 

"  Yes,"  she  said  softly,  **  there  is.  I  was  only  sure  of 
it  when  I  fancied  I  had  missed  you  a  few  minutes  ago; 
but  that  can't  affect  us,  Larry.  We  can  neither  of  us  go 
,  back  on  those  we  belong  to,  and  I  know  how  mean  I  was 
when  I  tried  to  tempt  you.  You  were  staunch,  and  if  I 
were  less  so,  you  would  not  respect  me." 

Grant  sighed.    "  You  still  believe  your  father  right?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Hetty.  "I  must  hope  so;  and  if  he  is 
wrong,  I  still  belong  to  him." 

"  But  you  can  believe  that  I  am  right,  too  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Hetty  simply.  "  I  am,  at  least,  certain 
you  think  you  are.  Still,  it  may  be  a  long  and  bitter 
while  before  we  see  this  trouble  through.  I  have  done 
too  much  to-night — that  is,  had  it  been  for  anyone  but 
you — and  you  will  not  make  my  duty  too  hard  for  me." 

Larry's  pulses  were  throbbing  furiously;  but  he  had 
many  times  already  checked  the  passionate  outbreak  that 
he  knew  would  have  banished  any  passing  tenderness  the 
girl  had  for  him. 

"  No,  my  dear,"  he  said.  "  But  the  trouble  can't  last 
for  ever,  and  when  it  is  over  you  will  come  to  me?  I 
have  been  waiting — even  when  I  felt  it  was  hopeless — 
year  after  year  for  you." 

Hetty  smiled  gravely.  "  Whether  I  shall  ever  be  able 
to  do  that,  Larry,  neither  you  nor  I  can  tell ;  but  at  least 
I  shall  never  listen  to  anyone  else.  That  is  all  I  can 
promise ;  and  we  must  go  on,  each  of  us  doing  what  is 
put  before  us,  and  hoping  for  the  best." 

Larry  swept  off  his  fur  cap,  and,  stooping,  kissed  her 
on  the  cheek.    "  It  is  the  first  time,  Hetty.    I  will  wait 

199 


THE   CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

patiently  for  the  next;  but  I  shall  see  you  now  and 
then?" 

The  girl  showed  as  little  sign  of  resentment  as  she  did 
of  passion.  "  If  I  meet  you ;  but  that  must  come  by 
chance/'  she  said.  "  I  want  you  to  think  the  best  of  me, 
and  if  the  time  should  come,  I  know  I  would  be  proud  of  , 
you.  You  have  never  done  a  mean  thing  since  I  knew 
you,  Larry,  and  that  means  a  good  deal  now." 

Grant  pulled  the  team  up  in  silence,  and  called  to 
Breckenridge,  who  checked  his  horses  and  getting  down 
looked  straight  in  front  of  him  as  his  comrade  handed 
Hetty  into  her  sleigh.  Then  they  stood  still,  saying  noth- 
ing while  the  team  swept  away. 

Hetty  was  also  silent,  though  she  drove  furiously,  and 
Flora  Schuyler  did  not  consider  it  advisable  to  ask  any 
questions,  while  the  rush  of  icy  wind  and  rocking  of  the 
sleigh  afforded  scanty  opportunity  for  conversation.  She 
was  also  very  cold,  and  greatly  relieved,  when  a  blink 
of  light  rose  out  of  the  snow.  Five  minutes  later  some- 
body handed  her  out  of  the  sleigh,  and  she  saw  a  man 
glance  at  the  team. 

**  You  have  been  sending  them  along.  Was  it  you  or 
Hetty  who  drove.  Miss  Schuyler  ?  "  he  said. 

Flora  Schuyler  laughed.  "  Hetty,  of  course ;  but  I 
want  you  to  remember  when  we  came  in,"  she  said,  men- 
tioning when  they  left  Cedar.  "  I  told  Mrs.  Ashley  we 
would  get  here  inside  an  hour,  and  she  wouldn't  believe 
me." 

''  If  anyone  wants  to  know  when  you  came  in,  send 
them  to  me,"  said  the  man.  "  There  are  not  many  horses 
that  could  have  made  it  in  the  time." 


200 


XVIII 

A   FUTILE  PURSUIT 

Hetty's  sleigh  was  sliding,  a  dim  moving  shadow, 
round  a  bend  in  the  rise  when  Breckenridge  touched  his 
comrade,  who  stood  gazing  silently  across  the  prairie. 

"  It's  abominably  cold,  Larry,"  he  said,  with  a  shiver. 
"  Hadn't  we  better  get  on?  " 

Grant  said  nothing  as  he  took  his  place  on  the  driving- 
seat,  and  the  team  had  plodded  slowly  along  the  trail 
for  at  least  five  minutes  before  he  spoke. 

*^  You  heard  what  Miss  Torrance  told  me?"  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  Breckenridge  said.  '*  I  notice,  however,  we 
are  still  heading  for  the  bridge.  Can't  you  cross  the  ice, 
Larry?  " 

"  If  I  wanted  to  I  fancy  I  could." 

"  Then  why  don't  you  ?  " 

Grant  laughed.  '*  Well,"  he  said,  "  there's  only  one 
trail  through  the  bluff,  and  it's  not  the  kind  I'm  fond  of 
driving  over  in  the  dark." 

Breckenridge  twisted  in  his  seat,  and  looked  at  him. 
"  Pshaw !  "  he  said.  **  It  would  be  a  good  deal  less  risky 
than  meeting  the  Sheriff  at  the  bridge.  You  are  not 
going  to  do  anything  senseless,  Larry?  " 

"  No ;  only  what  seems  necessary." 

Breckenridge  considered.  "  Now,"  he  said  slowly, 
"  I  can  guess  what  you're  thinking,  and,  of  course,  it's 
commendable;  but  one  has  to  be  reasonable.     Is  there 

201 


THE  CATTLEBARON^S  DAUGHTER 

anything  that  could  excite  the  least  suspicion  that  Miss 
Torrance  warned  you  ?  " 

"  There  are  two  or  three  little  facts  that  only  need 
putting  together." 

"  Still,  if  we  called  at  Muller's  and  drove  home  by  the 
other  trail  it  wouldn't  astonish  anybody/' 

**  It  would  appear  a  little  too  much  of  a  coincidence  in 
connection  with  the  fact  that  Miss  Torrance  and  I  were 
known  to  be  good  friends,  and  the  time  she  left  Cedar. 
As  the  cattle-men  have  evidently  found  out,  I  have 
crossed  the  bridge  at  about  the  same  time  every  Wednes- 
day; and  two  of  the  cow-boys  saw  us  near  Harper's." 

"  Larry,"  said  Breckenridge,  **  if  you  were  merely  one 
of  the  rest  your  intentions  would  no  doubt  become  you, 
but  the  point  is  that  every  homesteader  round  here  is 
dependent  on  you.  If  you  went  down,  the  opposition  to 
the  cattle-men  would  collapse,  or  there  would  be  general 
anarchy,  and  that  is  precisely  why  Torrance  and  the 
Sheriff  are  anxious  to  get  their  hands  on  you.  Now, 
doesn't  it  strike  you  that  it's  your  plain  duty  to  keep  clear 
of  any  unnecessary  peril  ?  " 

Grant  shook  his  head.  "  No,"  he  said.  "  It  seems  to 
me  that  argument  has  quite  frequently  accounted  for  a 
good  deal  of  meanness.  It  is  tolerably  presumptuous  for 
any  man  to  consider  himself  indispensable." 

*^  Well,"  said  Breckenridge,  divided  between  anger  and 
approval,  "  I  have  found  out  already  that  it's  seldom  any 
use  trying  to  convince  you,  but  each  time  you  made  this 
round  I've  driven  with  you,  and  it's  quite  obvious  that  if 
one  of  us  crossed  the  bridge  it  would  suit  the  purpose. 
Now,  I  don't  think  the  Sheriff  could  rake  up  very  much 
against  me." 

Grant  laid  his  hand  on  the  lad's  shoulder.  "  I'm  going 
to  cross  the  bridge,  but  I  don't  purpose  that  either  of  us 

202 


A  FUTILE  PURSUIT 

should  fall  into  the  Sheriff's  clutches,"  he  said.  "  You 
saw  what  Jardine's  glass  had  gone  down  to  ?  " 

Breckenridge  nodded.  "  It  dropped  like  that  before 
the  last  blizzard  we  had." 

Grant  turned  and  looked  about  him,  and  Breckenridge 
shivered  as  he  followed  his  gaze.  They  had  driven  out 
from  behind  the  rise  now  and  a  bitter  wind  met  them  in 
the  face.  There  was  not  very  much  of  it  as  yet,  but  all 
feeling  seemed  to  die  out  of  the  lad's  cheeks  under  it,  and 
it  brought  a  little  doleful  moaning  out  of  the  darkness. 
Behind  them  stars  shone  frostily  in  the  soft  indigo,  but 
elsewhere  a  deepening  obscurity  was  creeping  up  across 
the  prairie,  and  sky  and  snow  were  blurred  and  merged 
one  into  the  other. 

"  There's  one  meaning  to  that,"  said  Grant.  "  We'll 
have  snow  in  an  hour  or  two,  and  when  it  comes  it's 
going  to  be  difficult  to  see  anything.  In  the  meanwhile, 
we'll  drive  round  by  Busby's  and  get  our  supper  while 
the  cow-boys  cool.  The  man  who  hangs  around  a  couple 
of  hours  doing  nothing  in  a  frost  of  this  kind  is  not  to  be 
relied  upon  when  he's  wanted  in  a  hurry." 

He  flicked  the  horses,  and  in  half  an  hour  the  pair 
were  sitting  in  a  lonely  loghouse  beside  a  glowing  stove 
while  its  owner  prepared  a  meal.  Two  other  men  with 
bronzed  faces  sat  close  by,  and  Breckenridge  fancied  he 
had  never  seen  his  comrade  so  cheerful.  His  cares  seemed 
to  have  fallen  from  him,  his  laugh  had  a  pleasant  ring, 
and  there  was  something  in  his  eyes  which  had  not  been 
there  for  many  weary  months.  Breckenridge  wondered 
whether  it  could  be  due  to  anything  Miss  Torrance  had 
said  to  him,  but  kept  his  thoughts  to  himself,  for  that 
was  a  subject  upon  which  one  could  not  ask  questions. 

In  the  meanwhile,  Clavering  and  the  Sheriff  found  the 
time  pass  much  less  pleasantly — on  the  bluff.    The  wind 

203 


THE   CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

that  whistled  through  it  grew  colder  as  one  by  one  the 
.:stars  faded  out,  and  there  was  a  mournful  wailing  amidst 
the  trees.  Now  and  then,  a  shower  of  twigs  came  rattling 
down  from  branches  dried  to  brittleness  by  the  frost, 
and  the  Sheriff  brushed  them  off  disgustedly,  as,  huddling 
low^er  in  the  sleigh  from  which  the  horses  had  been  taken 
out,  he  packed  the  robes  round  him.  He  had  lived 
softly,  and  it  would  have  suited  him  considerably  better 
to  have  spent  that  bitter  evening  in  the  warmth  and 
security  of  Clavering's  ranch. 

"No  sign  of  him  yet?"  he  said,  when  Christopher 
Allonby  and  Clavering  came  up  together.  "  Larry  will 
stay  at  home  to-night.  He  has  considerably  more  sense 
than  we  seem  to  have." 

"  I  have  seen  nothing,"  said  Allonby,  who,  in  the  hope 
of  restoring  his  circulation,  had  walked  up  the  trail. 
"  Still,  the  night  is  getting  thicker,  and  nobody  could 
make  a  sleigh  out  until  it  drove  right  up  to  him." 

"  If  Larry  did  come,  you  could  hear  him,"  said  the 
Sheriff. 

Allonby  lifted  his  hand,  and,  as  if  to  supply  the  answer, 
with  a  great  thrashing  of  frost-nipped  twigs  the  birches 
roared  about  them.  The  blast  that  lashed  them  also 
hurled  the  icy  dust  of  snow  into  the  Sheriff's  face. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  the  lad.  "  Nobody  could  hear 
very  much  through  that." 

"  Ugh !  "  said  the  Sheriff.  "  We  will  have  a  blizzard 
•on  us  before  long,  and  Government  pay  doesn't  warrant 
one  taking  chances  of  that  kind.  Aren't  we  playing  a 
fool's  game,  Clavering?" 

Clavering  laughed  somewhat  unpleasantly.  "  There 
are  other  emoluments  attached  to  your  office  which  should 
cover  a  little  inconvenience,"  he  said.  "  Now,  I  fancy  I 
know  Larry  Grant  better  than  the  rest  of  you,  and  it 

204 


A  FUTILE  PURSUIT 

would  take  quite  a  large-sized  blizzard  to  keep  him  at 
home  when  he  had  anything  to  do.  Once  you  put  him  out 
of  the  way  it  will  make  things  a  good  deal  more  pleasant 
for  everybody.  Larry  is  the  one  man  with  any  brains^ 
the  homesteaders  have  in  this  part  of  the  country,  and 
while  they  would  make  no  show  without  him,  we  can 
expect  nothing  but  trouble  while  he's  at  liberty.  It  seems^ 
to  me  that  warrants  our  putting  up  with  a  little  un- 
pleasantness.'' 

"Quite  improving!"  said  Allonby,  who  was  not  in 
the  best  of  temper  just  then.  **  One  could  almost  wonder 
if  you  had  any  personal  grudge  against  the  man,  Claver- 
ing.  You  are  so  astonishingly  disinterested  when  you 
talk  of  him.  Now,  if  I  didn't  like  a  man  I'd  make  an 
opportunity  of  telling  him." 

Clavering  laughed.  "  You're  young,  Chris,  or  you 
wouldn't  worry  about  folks'  motives  when  their  efforts 
suit  you.    What  are  the  men  doing?  " 

*'  Freezing,  and  grumbling!  "  said  Allonby.  "  They've 
made  up  their  minds  to  get  Larry  this  time  or  we 
wouldn't  have  kept  them  here.  It's  the  horses  I'm  anx- 
ious about.  They  seem  to  know  what  is  coming,  and 
they're  going  to  give  us  trouble." 

**  A  fool's  game! "  repeated  the  Sheriff,  with  a  shiver.. 
"  Got  any  of  those  cigars  with  you,  Clavering?  If  I'm 
to  stay  here,  I  have  to  smoke." 

Clavering  threw  him  the  case  and  turned  away  with 
Allonby.  They  went  down  through  the  bluff  together 
and  stood  a  few  moments  looking  up  the  trail.  It  led 
downwards  towards  them,  a  streak  of  faintly  shining 
whiteness,  through  the  gloom  of  the  trees,  and  the  wind 
that  set  the  branches  thrashing  whirled  powdery  snow 
into  their  faces,  though  whether  this  came  down  from  the 
heavens  or  was  uplifted  from  the  frozen  soil  they  did  not 

205 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

know.  With  eyes  dimmed  and  tingling  cheeks,  they 
moved  back  again  amidst  the  birches;  but  even  there  it 
was  bitterly  cold,  and  AUonby  was  glad  to  turn  his 
face  from  the  wind  a  moment  as  they  stopped  to  glance 
at  the  tethered  horses.  They  were  stamping  impatiently, 
while  the  man  on  watch^  who  would  have  patted  one  of 
them,  sprang  backwards  when  the  beast  lashed  out  at 
him. 

"  If  Larry  doesn't  come  soon,  I  guess  we're  going  to 
find  it  hard  to  keep  them  here,"  he  said.  "  They're  'most 
pulling  the  branches  they're  hitched  to  off  the  trees." 

Allonby  nodded.  "  Larry  would  be  flattered  if  he 
knew  the  trouble  you  and  I  were  taking  over  him,  Claver- 
ing,"  he  said.  "  It's  also  the  first  time  I've  seen  you  worry 
much  about  this  kind  of  thing." 

"What  kind  of  thing?" 

"  Citizen's  duty!    I  think  that's  the  way  you  put  it?  " 

Clavering  laughed.  "  If  you  want  to  be  unpleasant, 
Chris,  can't  you  try  a  different  line?  That  one's  played 
out.    It's  too  cold  to  quarrel." 

"I  don't  feel  pleasant,"  said  Allonby.  "In  fact,  I 
don't  like  this  thing,  any  way.  Before  Larry  got  stuck 
with  his  notions  he  was  a  friend  of  mine." 

"  If  the  boys  don't  get  too  cold  to  shoot  it's  quite  likely 
he  will  be  nobody's  friend  to-morrow,"  said  Clavering 
cruelly.    "  We'll  go  round  and  look  at  them." 

They  went  back  into  the  trail  once  more,  and  the  icy 
gusts  struck  through  them  as  they  plodded  up  it ;  but  they 
found  no  man  keeping  watch  beside  it,  as  there  should 
have  been.  The  cow-boys  had  drawn  back  for  shelter 
among  the  trees,  and  Clavering,  who  found  them  stamp- 
ing and  shivering,  had  some  difficulty  in  getting  them 
to  their  posts  again.  They  had  been  there  two  hours, 
and  the  cold  was  almost  insupportable. 

206 


A  FUTILE  PURSUIT 

"  I  guess  it's  no  use,"  said  Allonby.  "  As  soon  as  we 
have  gone  on  every  boy  will  be  back  behind  his  tree,  and 
I  don't  know  that  anybody  could  blame  them.  Any  way 
I'm  'most  too  cold  for  talking." 

They  went  back  together,  and,  while  the  cow-boys,  who 
did  as  Allonby  had  predicted^  slowly  froze  among  the 
trees,  rolled  themselves  in  the  sleigh-robes  and  huddled 
together.  It  was  blowing  strongly  now,  and  a  numbing 
drowsiness  had  to  be  grappled  with  as  the  warmth  died 
out  of  them.  At  last  when  a  few  feathery  flakes  came 
floating  down,  the  Sheriff  shook  himself  with  a  sleepy 
groan. 

"  There  is  not  a  man  living  who  could  keep  me  here 
more  than  another  quarter  of  an  hour,"  he  said.  "  Are 
the  boys  on  the  lookout  by  the  trail,  Allonby?  " 

"  They  were,"  said  the  lad  drowsily.  "  I  don't  know 
if  they're  there  now,  and  it  isn't  likely.  Clavering  can 
go  and  make  sure  if  he  likes  to,  but  if  anyone  wants  me 
to  get  up,  he  will  have  to  lift  me." 

Neither  Clavering  nor  the  Sheriff  appeared  disposed  to 
move,  and  it  was  evident  that  both  had  abandoned  all 
hope  of  seeing  Larry  Grant  that  night.  Ten  minutes  that 
seemed  interminable  passed,  and  the  white  flakes  that 
whirled  about  them  grew  thicker  between  the  gusts  and 
came  down  in  a  bewildering  rush.  The  Sheriff  shook 
the  furs  off  him  and  stood  up  with  a  groan. 

"  Tell  them  to  bring  the  horses.  I  have  had  quite 
enough,"  he  said. 

Allonby  staggered  to  his  feet,  and  reeled  into  the  wood, 
nrhere  was  a  hoarse  shouting,  and  a  trampling  of  hoofs 
that  was  drowned  in  a  roar  of  wind,  and  when  that 
slackened  a  moment  a  faint  cry  went  up. 

"Hallo!"  said  the  Sheriff;  "he's  coming." 

Then,  nobody  quite  remembered  what  he  did.    Here 

207 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

and  there  a  man  struggled  with  a  plunging  horse  in  the 
darkness  of  the  wood,  and  one  or  two  blundered  into  each 
other  and  fell  against  the  trunks  as  they  ran  on  foot. 
They  were  dazed  with  cold,  and  the  snow,  that  seemed 
to  cut  their  cheeks,  was  in  their  eyes. 

Allonby,  however,  saw  that  Clavering  was  mounted, 
and  the  horse  he  rode  apparently  going  round  and  round 
with  him,  while  by  and  by  he  found  himself  in  the  saddle. 
He  was  leaning  low  over  the  horse's  neck,  with  one 
moccasined  foot  in  the  stirrup  and  the  other  hanging 
loose,  while  the  branches  lashed  at  him,  when  something 
dark  and  shapeless  came  flying  down  the  trail. 

He  heard  a  hoarse  shout  and  a  rifle  flashed,  but  the 
wind  drowned  the  sound  and  before  he  was  in  the  trail 
the  sleigh,  which  was  what  he  supposed  the  thing  to  be, 
had  flashed  by.  One  cannot  handily  fit  spurs  to  mocca- 
sins, and,  as  his  hands  were  almost  useless,  it  was  some 
time  before  he  induced  the  horse,  which  desired  to  go 
home  uphill,  to  take  the  opposite  direction.  Then,  he  was 
oflF  at  a  gallop,  with  a  man  whom  he  supposed  to  be  Cla- 
vering in  front  of  him,  and  the  Sheriff,  who  seemed  to  be 
shouting  instructions,  at  his  side.  Allonby  did  not  think 
that  anybody  heard  them,  but  that  was  of  no  great  mo- 
ment to  him  then,  for  the  trail  was  narrow  and  slippery 
here  and  there,  and  he  was  chiefly  concerned  with  the 
necessity  of  keeping  clear  of  his  companion.  He  could 
not  see  the  sleigh  now  and  scarcely  fancied  that  anybody 
else  did,  but  he  could  hear  the  beat  of  hoofs  in  front  of 
him  when  the  wind  sank  a  trifle,  and  rode  on  furiously 
down-hill  at  a  gallop.  The  horse  had  apparently  yielded 
to  its  terror  of  the  storm,  and  Allonby  had  more  than  a 
suspicion  that,  had  he  wanted  to,  he  could  neither  have 
turned  it  nor  pulled  it  up. 

Clavering  still  held  in  front  of  him,  but  the  Sheriff  was 

208 


A  FUTILE  PURSUIT 

dropping  back  a  little,  and  the  lad  did  not  know  whether 
any  of  the  rest  were  following.  He  was,  however,  cer- 
tain that,  barring  a  fall,  a  mounted  man  could  overtake  a 
sleigh,  and  that  the  up  grade  beyond  the  bridge  would 
tell  on  the  beasts  that  dragged  a  weight  behind  them.  So 
while  the  snow  whirled  past  him  and  the  dim  trees  flashed 
by,  he  urged  on  the  beast  until  he  heard  the  bridge  rattle 
under  him  and  felt  the  pace  slacken — the  trail  had  begun 
to  lead  steeply  up  out  of  the  hollow. 

The  horse  was  flagging  a  little  by  the  time  they 
reached  the  crest  of  the  rise,  and  for  a  few  moments 
AUonby  saw  nothing  at  all.  The  roar  of  the  trees  deaf- 
ened him,  and  the  wind  drove  the  snow  into  his  eyes. 
Then,  as  he  gasped  and  shook  it  from  him  when  the 
gust  had  passed,  he  dimly  made  out  something  that 
moved  amidst  the  white  haze  and  guessed  that  it  was 
Clavering.  If  that  were  so,  he  felt  it  was  more  than 
likely  that  the  sleigh  was  close  in  front  of  him.  A  few 
minutes  later  he  had  come  up  with  the  man  whose  greater 
weight  was  telling,  and  while  they  rode  stirrup  to  stirrup 
and  neck  by  neck,  Allonby  fancied  there  was  something 
dim  and  shadowy  in  front  of  them. 

Clavering  shouted  as  he  dropped  behind,  and  Allonby 
who  failed  to  catch  what  he  said  was  alone,  blinking  at 
the  filmy  whiteness,  through  which  he  had  blurred 
glimpses  of  the  object  ahead,  now  growing  more  dis- 
^^  tinct.  He  could  also,  when  the  wind  allowed  it,  hear 
the  dull  beat  of  hoofs.  How  long  it  took  him  to  overtake 
it  he  could  never  remember;  but  at  last  the  sleigh  was 
very  close  to  him,  and  he  shouted.  There  was  no  an- 
swer; but  Allonby,  who  could  scarcely  hear  his  own 
voice,  did  not  consider  this  astonishing,  and  tried  again. 
Still  no  answer  came  back,  and,  coming  up  with  the 
sleigh  at  every  stride,  he  dragged  the  butt  of  his  slung 

209 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

rifle  round  and  fumbled  at  the  strap  with  a  numbed  and 
almost  useless  hand. 

He  could  see  the  back  of  the  sleigh,  but  nothing  else, 
and  lurching  perilously  in  the  saddle  he  got  the  rifle  in 
his  hand ;  but,  cold  and  stiffened  as  he  was,  he  dared  not 
loose  his  grasp  on  the  bridle,  and  so,  with  the  butt  at  his 
hip,  he  raced  up  level  with  the  sleigh.  Then,  the  horse, 
perhaps  edged  off  the  beaten  trail  into  the  snow  outside 
it,  blundered  in  its  stride,  and  the  rifle,  that  fell  as  the 
lad  swayed,  was  left  behind.  He  had  both  hands  on  the 
Bridle  the  next  moment,  and  leaning  down  sideways  fan- 
cied there  was  nobody  in  the  sleigh.  It  took  him  a 
second  or  two  to  make  quite  sure  of  it,  and  at  least  a 
minute  more  before  he  brought  the  horse  to  a  standstill 
in  the  trail.  By  that  time  the  sleigh  had  swept  on  into 
the  sliding  whiteness.  Wheeling  his  horse,  Clavering 
rode  out  of  the  snow  and  pulled  up  in  evident  astonish- 
ment. 

"  Have  you  let  him  get  away?  "  he  gasped. 

"  He  wasn't  there,"  said  Allonby. 

"  Not  there !  I  saw  him  and  another  man  when  they; 
drove  past  us  in  the  bluff." 

"  Well,"  said  Allonby,  "  I'm  quite  certain  there's  no- 
body in  that  sleigh  now." 

The  wind  that  roared  about  them  cut  short  the  colloquy, 
and  a  minute  or  two  later  Allonby  became  sensible  that 
Clavering  was  speaking  again. 

"  Larry  and  the  other  man  must  have  dropped  into 
the  soft  snow  when  the  team  slowed  up  on  the  up  grade, 
knowing  the  horses  would  go  on  until  they  reached  their 
stable,"  he  said.  "  Well,  they'll  be  away  through  the 
bluff  now,  and  a  brigade  of  cavalry  would  scarcely  find 
them  on  such  a  night.  In  fact,  we  will  have  to  trust  the 
beasts  to  take  us  home," 

210 


A  FUTILE  PURSUIT 

Just  then  the  Sheriff,  with  one  or  two  cow-boys,  rode 
up,  and  AUonby,  who  did  not  Hke  the  man,  laughed  as  he 
signed  him  to  stop. 

*'  You  can  go  back  and  get  your  driving  horses  in. 
We  have  been  chasing  a  sleigh  with  no  one  in  it/'  he 
said.    "  Larrx  has  beaten  us  again! '' 


I 


2xr 


XIX 

TORRANCE  ASKS  A  QUESTION 

There  was  but  one  lamp  lighted  in  the  hall  at  Cedar 
Range,  and  that  was  turned  low,  but  there  was  light 
enough  to  satisfy  Clavering,  who  stood  beneath  it  with 
Hetty's  maid  close  beside  him  and  a  little  red  leather  case 
in  his  hand.  The  girl's  eyes  were  eager,  but  they  were 
fixed  upon  the  case  and  not  the  man,  who  had  seen  the 
keenness  in  them  and  was  not  displeased.  Clavering  had 
met  other  women  in  whom  cupidity  was  at  least  as  strong 
as  vanity. 

"  Now  I  wonder  if  you  can  guess  what  is  inside  there, 
and  who  it  is  for,"  he  said. 

The  maid  drew  a  trifle  nearer,  stooping  slightly  over 
the  man's  hand,  and  she  probably  knew  that  the  trace  of 
shyness,  which  was  not  all  assumed,  became  her.  She 
was  also  distinctly  conscious  that  the  pose  she  fell  into 
displayed  effectively  a  prettily  rounded  figure. 

"Something  for  Miss  Torrance?"  she  said. 

Clavering's  laugh  was,  as  his  companion  noticed,  not 
quite  spontaneous.  "  No,"  he  said.  *'  I  guess  you  know 
as  well  as  I  do  that  Miss  Torrance  would  not  take  any- 
thing of  this  kind  from  me.  She  has  plenty  of  them 
already." 

The  maid  knew  this  was  a  fact,  for  she  had  occasionally 
spent  a  delightful  half-hour  adorning  herself  with  Hetty's 
jewellery. 

212 


TORRANCE  ASKS  A  QUESTION 

"  Well/'  she  said,  with  a  little  tremor  of  anticipation  in 
her  voice,  "  what  is  inside  it?  '' 

Clavering  laid  the  case  in  her  hand.  "  It  is  yours/'  he 
said.     "  Just  press  that  spring." 

It  was  done,  and  she  gasped  as  a  gleam  of  gold  and 
a  coloured  gleam  met  her  eyes.  "  My ! "  she  said. 
"They're  real— and  it's  for  me?" 

Clavering  srAiled  a  little,  and  taking  her  fingers  lightly 
closed  them  on  the  case. 

"  Of  course,"  he  said.    "  Well,  you're  pleased  with  it  ?  " 

The  sparkle  in  the  girl's  eyes  and  the  little  flush  in 
her  face  was  plain  enough,  but  the  man's  soft  laugh  was 
perfectly  genuine.  It  was  scarcely  a  gift  he  had  made 
her;  but  while  he  expected  that  the  outlay  upon  the 
trinket  would  be  repaid  him,  he  could  be  generous  when 
it  suited  him,  and  was  quite  aware  that  a  less  costly  lure 
would  have  served  his  purpose  equally.  He  also  knew 
when  it  was  advisable  to  offer  something  more  taste- 
ful than  the  obtrusive  dollar. 

"  Oh,"  said  the  girl,  "  it's  just  lovely! " 

Clavering,  who  had  discretion,  did  not  look  round,  but, 
though  he  kept  his  dark  eyes  on  his  companion's  face,  he 
listened  carefully.  He  could  hear  the  wind  outside,  and 
the  crackle  of  the  stove,  but  nothing  else,  and  knew  that 
the  footsteps  of  anyone  approaching  would  ring  tolerably 
distinctly  down  the  corridor  behind  the  hall.  He  also 
remembered  that  the  big  door  nearest  them  was  shut. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  it  wouldn't  do  to  put  anything  that 
wasn't  pretty  on  a  neck  like  that,  and  I  wonder  if  you 
would  let  me  fix  it." 

The  girl  made  no  protest;  but  though  she  saw  the 
admiration  in  the  man's  dark  eyes  as  she  covertly  looked 
up,  it  would  have  pleased  her  better  had  he  been  a  trifle 
more  clumsy.    His  words  and  glances  were  usually  bold 

213 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

enough,  but,  as  he  clasped  the  little  brooch  on,  his  fingers 
were  almost  irritatingly  deft  and  steady.  Men,  she 
knew,  did  not  make  fools  of  themselves  from  a  purely 
artistic  appreciation  of  feminine  comeliness. 

"  Now,"  she  said,  slipping  away  from  him  with  a 
blush,  **  I  wonder  what  you  expect  for  this.'' 

Clavering's  eyebrows  went  up  and  there  was  a  faint 
assumption  of  haughtiness  in  his  face,  which  became  it. 

"  Only  the  pleasure  of  seeing  it  where  it  is.  It's  a 
gift,"  he  said. 

"  Well,"  said  the  girl,  "  that  was  very  kind  of  you ;  but 
you're  quite  sure  you  never  gave  Miss  Torrance  anything 
of  this  kind?" 

"  No.    I  think  I  told  you  so." 

The  maid  was  not  convinced.  *'  But,"  she  said,  look- 
ing at  him  sideways,  "  I  thought  you  did.  She  has  a 
little  gold  chain,  very  thin,  and  not  like  the  things  they 
make  now — and  just  lately  she  is  always  wearing  it." 

"  I  never  saw  it." 

The  girl  smiled  significantly.  "  I  guess  that's  not 
astonishing.  She  wears  it  low  down  on  her  neck — and 
the  curious  thing  is  that  it  lay  by  and  she  never  looked 
at  it  for  ever  so  long." 

Clavering  felt  that  the  dollars  the  trinket  had  cost  him 
had  not  been  wasted ;  but  though  he  concealed  his  disgust 
tolerably  well,  the  maid  noticed  it.  She  had,  however, 
vague  ambitions,  and  a  scarcely  warranted  conviction 
that,  given  a  fair  field,  she  could  prove  herself  a  match 
for  her  mistress. 

"  Then,  if  it  wasn't  you,  it  must  have  been  the  other 
man,"  she  said. 

"The  other  man?" 

"  Yes,"  with  a  laugh.  "  The  one  I  took  the  wallet 
with  the  dollars  to." 

214 


TORRANCE  ASKS  A  QUESTION 

Clavering  hoped  he  had  not  betrayed  his  astonishment ; 
but  she  had  seen  the  momentary  flash  in  his  eyes  and  the 
involuntary  closing  of  his  hand. 

"  Now/'  he  said  firmly,  "  that  can't  be  quite  straight, 
and  one  should  be  very  careful  about  saying  that  kind  of 
thing." 

The  girl  looked  at  him  steadily.  "  Still,  I  took  a  wallet 
with  dollar  bills  in  it  to  Mr.  Grant — at  night.  I  met  him 
on  the  bluff,  and  Miss  Torrance  sent  them  him." 

It  was  possible  that  Clavering  would  have  heard  more 
had  he  followed  the  line  of  conduct  he  had  adopted  at 
first;  but  he  stood  thoughtfully  silent  instead,  which  did 
not  by  any  means  please  his  companion  as  well.  He  had 
a  vague  notion  that  this  was  a  mistake ;  but  the  anger  he 
did  not  show  was  too  strong  for  him.  Then,  he  fancied 
he  heard  a  footstep  on  the  stairway,  and  laughed  in  a 
somewhat  strained  fashion. 

"  Well,  we  needn't  worry  about  that ;  and  I  guess  if  I 
stay  here  any  longer,  Mr.  Torrance  will  be  wondering 
where  I  have  gone,"  he  said. 

He  went  out  by  one  door,  and  a  few  moments  later 
Miss  Schuyler  came  in  by  another.  She  swept  a  hasty 
glance  round  the  hall,  most  of  which  was  in  the  shadow, 
and  her  eyes  caught  the  faint  sparkle  at  the  maid's  neck. 
The  next  moment  the  girl  moved  back  out  of  the  light; 
but  Miss  Schuyler  saw  her  hand  go  up,  and  fancied 
there  was  something  in  it  when  it  came  down  again.  She 
had  also  heard  a  man's  footstep,  and  could  put  two  and 
two  together. 

"  Miss  Torrance  wants  the  silk.  It  was  here,  but  I 
don't  see  it,"  she  said.  "  Who  went  out  a  moment  or 
two  ago?" 

The  girl  opened  a  bureau.  "  Mr.  Clavering.  He  left 
his  cigar-case  when  he  first  came  in." 

215 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

She  took  out  a  piece  of  folded  silk,  and  Miss  Schuyler 
noticed  the  fashion  in  which  she  held  it. 

**  It  is  the  lighter  shade  we  want ;  but  the  other  piece 
is  very  like  it.    Unroll  it  so  I  can  see  it/'  she  said. 

The  maid  seemed  to  find  this  somewhat  difficult;  but 
Miss  Schuyler  had  seen  a  strip  of  red  leather  between 
the  fingers  of  one  hand,  and  understanding  why  it  was 
so,  went  out  thoughtfully.  She  knew  the  appearance  of 
a  jewel-case  tolerably  well,  and  had  more  than  a  suspicion 
as  to  whom  the  girl  had  obtained  it  from.  Miss  Schuy- 
ler, who  would  not  have  believed  Clavering's  assertion 
about  the  trinket  had  she  heard  it,  wondered  what  he 
expected  in  exchange  for  it,  which  perhaps  accounted  for 
the  fact  that  she  contrived  to  overtake  him  in  the  corridor 
at  the  head  of  the  stairs. 

"  When  you  left  Hetty  and  me  alone  we  understood  it 
was  because  Mr.  Torrance  was  waiting  for  you,"  she 
said. 

"  Yes,"  said  Clavering,  smiling.  "  It  is  scarcely  neces- 
sary to  explain  that  if  he  hadn't  been  I  would  not  have 
gone.    I  fancied  he  was  in  the  hall." 

Flora  Schuyler  nodded  as  though  she  believed  him, 
but  she  determined  to  leave  no  room  for  doubt.  *'  He  is 
in  his  office,"  she  said.  "  Have  you  the  deerskin  cigar- 
case  you  showed  us  with  you  ?  You  will  remember  I  was 
interested  in  the  Indian  embroidery." 

"  I'm  sorry  I  haven't,"  said  Clavering.  "  Torrance's 
cigars  are  better  than  mine,  so  I  usually  leave  mine  at 
home.  But  I'll  bring  the  case  next  time,  and  if  you  would 
like  to  copy  it,  I  could  get  you  a  piece  of  the  dressed  hide 
from  one  of  the  Blackfeet." 

He  turned  away,  and  Flora  Schuyler  decided  not  to  tell 
Hetty  what  she  had  heard — Hetty  was  a  little  impulsive 

216 


TORRANCE  ASKS  A  QUESTION 

occasionally — ^but  it  seemed  to  Miss  Schuyler  that  it: 
would  be  wise  to  watch  her  maid  and  Clavering  closely. 

In  the  meantime,  the  man  walked  away  towards  Tor- 
rance's office,  considering  what  the  maid  had  told  him. 
He  had  found  it  difficult  to  credit,  but  her  manner  had 
convinced  him,  and  he  realized  that  he  could  not  afford 
the  delay  he  had  hitherto  considered  advisable.  A  young 
woman,  he  reflected,  would  scarcely  send  a  wallet  of  dol- 
lars at  night  to  a  man  whose  plans  were  opposed  to  her 
father's  without  a  strong  motive,  and  the  fact  that  Hetty 
wore  a  chain  hidden  about  her  neck  had  its  meaning.  He 
had,  like  most  of  his  neighbours,  laughed  at  Larry's  hope- 
less devotion,  but  he  had  seen  similar  cases  in  which  the 
lady  at  last  relented,  and  while  he  knew  Hetty's  loyalty 
to  her  own  people,  and  scarcely  thought  that  she  had 
more  than  a  faint,  tolerant  tenderness  for  Larry,  it  ap- 
peared eminently  desirable  to  prevent  anything  of  that 
kind  happening.  Torrance,  who  was  sitting  smoking, 
glanced  at  him  impatiently  when  he  went  in. 

"  You  have  been  a  long  while,"  he  said. 

*'  I  have  a  sufficient  excuse,  sir,"  said  Clavering. 

"Well,"  said  Torrance  drily,  "they  are  quite  clever 
girls,  but"!  have  found  myself  wishing  lately  they  were 
a  long  way  from  here.  That,  however,  is  not  what  I 
want  to  talk  about.  Apparently  none  of  us  can  get  hold 
of  Larry." 

"  It  is  not  for  the  want  of  effort.  There  are  few  things 
that  would  please  me  better." 

Torrance  glanced  at  Clavering  sharply.  "  No.  I  fan- 
cied once  or  twice  you  had  a  score  of  your  own  against 
him.  In  fact,  I  heard  Allonby  say  something  of  the  same 
kind,  too." 

"  Chris  is  a  trifle  officious,"  said  Clavering.  "  Any 
way,  it's  quite  evident  that  we  shall  scarcely  hold  the 

217 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

homestead-boys  back  until  we  get  our  thumb  on 
Larry." 

"  How  are  we  going  to  do  it  ?  He  has  come  out  ahead 
of  us  so  far." 

"  We  took  the  wrong  way,"  said  Clavering.  "  Now, 
Larry,  as  you  know,  puts  all  his  dealings  through  the 
Tillotson  Company.  Tillotson,  as  I  found  out  in  Chicago, 
has  a  free  hand  to  buy  stocks  or  produce  with  his  balances, 
and  Larry,  who  does  not  seem  to  bank  his  dollars,  draws 
on  him.  It's  not  an  unusual  thing.  Well,  IVe  been 
writing  to  folks  in  Chicago,  and  they  tell  me  Tillotson 
is  in  quite  a  tight  place  since  the  upward  move  in  lard. 
It  appears  he  has  been  selling  right  along  for  a  fall." 

Torrance  looked  thoughtful.  "  Tillotson  is  a  straight 
man,  but  IVe  had  a  notion  he  has  been  financing  some  of 
the  homestead-boys.     He  handles  all  Larry's  dollars?" 

Clavering  nodded.  "  He  put  them  into  lard.  Now, 
the  Brand  Company  hold  Tillotson's  biggest  contract, 
and  if  it  suited  them  they  could  break  him.  I  don't  think 
they  want  to.    Tillotson  is  a  kind  of  useful  man  to  them." 

Torrance  brought  his  fist  down  on  the  table.  "  Well," 
he  said  grimly,  "  we  have  a  stronger  pull  than  Tillotson. 
Most  of  the  business  in  this  country  goes  to  them,  and  if 
he  thought  it  worth  while.  Brand  would  sell  all  his  rela- 
tions up  to-morrow.  I'll  go  right  through  to  Chicago 
and  fix  the  thing." 

Clavering  smiled.  "  If  you  can  manage  it,  you  will 
cut  off  Larry's  supplies." 

"  Then,"  said  Torrance,  "  I'll  start  to-morrow.  Still, 
I  don't  want  to  leave  the  girls  here,  and  it  would  suit  me 
if  you  could  drive  them  over  to  Allonby's.  I  don't  mind 
admitting  that  they  have  given  me  a  good  deal  of  anxiety, 
though  they've  made  things  pleasant,  too,  and  I've  'most 

218 


TORRANCE  ASKS  A  QUESTION 

got  afraid  of  wondering  what  Cedar  will  feel  like  when 
they  go  away." 

"  Will  Miss  Torrance  go  away  ?  " 

"  She  will,"  said  Torrance,  with  a  little  sigh,  though 
there  was  pride  in  his  eyes,  "  when  the  trouble's  over — 
but  not  before.  She  came  home  to  see  the  old  man 
through." 

Clavering  seized  the  opportunity.  "  Did  you  ever  con- 
template the  possibility  of  Miss  Torrance  marrying  any- 
body here?  " 

"  I  have  a  notion  that  there's  nobody  good  enough,^* 
Torrance  said  quickly. 

Clavering  nodded,  though  he  felt  the  old  man's  eyes 
upon  him,  and  did  not  relish  the  implication.  "  Still,  I 
fancy  the  same  difficulty  would  be  met  with  anywhere 
else,  and  that  encourages  me  to  ask  if  you  would  have  any 
insuperable  objections  to  myself?" 

Torrance  looked  at  him  steadily.  **  I  have  been  ex- 
pecting this.  Once  I  thought  it  was  Miss  Schuyler ;  but 
she  does  not  like  you." 

"  I  am  sorry,"  and  Clavering  wondered  whether  his 
host  was  right,  "  though,  the  latter  fact  is  not  of  any 
great  moment.  I  have  long  had  a  sincere  respect  for 
Miss  Torrance,  but  I  am  afraid  it  would  be  difficult  to 
tell  you  all  I  think  of  her." 

"  The  point,"  said  Torrance,  somewhat  grimly,  "  is  ^ 
what  she  thinks  of  you." 

"  I  don't  know.  It  did  not  seem  quite  fitting  to  ask  her 
until  I  had  spoken  to  you." 

Torrance  said  nothing  for  almost  a  minute,  and  to 
Clavering  the  silence  became  almost  intolerable.  The 
old  man's  forehead  was  wrinkled  and  he  stared  at  the 
wall  in  front  of  him  with  vacant  eyes.  Then,  he  spoke 
very  slowly. 

219 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  That  was  the  square  thing,  and  I  have  to  thank  you. 
For  twenty  years  now  I  have  worked  and  saved  for  Hetty 
— that  she  might  have  the  things  her  mother  longed  for 
and  never  got.  And  IVe  never  been  sorry — the  girl  is 
good  all  through.  It  is  natural  that  she  should  marry; 
and  even  so  far  as  the  dollars  go,  she  will  bring  as  much 
to  her  husband  as  he  can  give  her,  and  if  it's  needful 
more ;  but  there  are  one  or  two  points  about  you  I  don't 
quite  like." 

The  old  man's  voice  vibrated  and  his  face  grew  softer 
and  the  respect  that  Clavering  showed  when  he  answered 
was  not  all  assumed. 

"  I  know  my  own  unworthiness,  sir,  but  I  think  any 
passing  follies  I  may  have  indulged  in  are  well  behind  me 
now." 

'*  Well,"  said  Torrance  drily,  "  it's  quite  hard  to  shake 
some  tastes  and  habits  off,  and  one  or  two  of  them  have  a 
trick  of  hanging  on  to  the  man  who  thinks  he  has  done 
with  them.  Now,  I  want  a  straight  answer.  Do  you 
know  any  special  reason  why  it  would  not  be  the  square 
thing  for  you  to  marry  my  daughter  ?  " 

A  faint  colour  crept  into  Clavering's  face.  "  I  know 
a  good  many  which  would  make  the  bargain  unfair  to 
her,"  he  said,  "  but  there  are  very  few  men  in  this  coun- 
try who  would  be  good  enough  for  her." 

Torrance  checked  him  with  a  lifted  hand.  "  That  is  not 
what  I  mean.  It  is  fortunate  for  most  of  us  that  women 
'  of  her  kind  believe  the  best  of  us  and  can  forgive  a  good 
deal.  I  am  not  speaking  generally:  do  you  know  any 
special  reason — one  that  may  make  trouble  for  both  of 
you?  It's  a  plain  question,  and  you  understand  it.  If 
you  do,  we'll  go  into  the  thing  right  now,  and  then,  if  it 
can  be  got  over,  never  mention  it  again." 

Clavering  sat  silent,  knowing  well  that  delay  might 

220 


TORRANCE  ASKS  A  QUESTION 

be  fatal,  and  yet  held  still  by  something  he  had  heard  in 
the  old  man's  voice  and  seen  in  his  eyes.  However,  he 
had  succeeded  in  signally  defeating  one  blackmailer. 

"  Sir,''  he  said,  very  slowly,  **  I  know  of  no  reason 
now." 

Torrance  had  not  moved  his  eyes  from  him.  "  Then," 
he  said,  "  I  can  only  take  your  word.  You  are  one  of  us 
and  understand  the  little  things  that  please  girls  like 
Hetty.  If  she  will  take  you,  you  can  count  on  my  good 
will." 

Clavering  made  a  little  gesture  of  thanks.  "  I  ask 
nothing  more,  and  may  wait  before  I  urge  my  suit ;  but  it 
seems  only  fair  to  tell  you  that  my  ranching  has  not  been 
very  profitable  lately  and  my  affairs " 

Torrance  cut  him  short.  "  In  these  things  it  is  the  man 
that  counts  the  most,  and  not  the  dollars.  You  will  not 
have  to  worry  over  that  point,  now  you  have  told  me  I 
can  trust  Hetty  to  you." 

He  said  a  little  more  on  the  same  subject,  and  then 
Clavering  went  out  with  unpleasantly  confused  sensations 
through  which  a  feeling  of  degradation  came  uppermost. 
He  had  not  led  an  exemplary  life,  but  pride  had  kept 
him  clear  of  certain  offences,  and  he  had  as  yet  held  his 
word  sacred  when  put  upon  his  honour.  It  w^as  some 
minutes  before  he  ventured  to  join  Hetty  and  Miss. 
Schuyler,  who  he  knew  by  the  sound  of  the  piano  were 
in  the  hall. 

Hetty  sat  with  her  fingers  on  the  keyboard,  the  soft 
light  of  the  lamps  in  the  sconces  shining  upon  her — very 
pretty,  very  dainty,  an  unusual  softness  in  the  eyes.  She 
turned  towards  Clavering. 

**  You  went  in  to  get  it  " — touching  the  music — "  just 
because  you  heard  me  say  I  would  like  those  songs.    !A1 

221 


THE  GATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

four  days'  ride,  and  a  blizzard  raging  on  one  of  them !  '* 
she  said. 

Clavering  looked  at  her  gravely  with  something  in  his 
eyes  that  puzzled  Miss  Schuyler,  who  had  expected  a 
wittily  graceful  speech. 

"  You  are  pleased  with  them  ? ''  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  girl  impulsively.  "  But  I  feel  horribly 
mean  because  I  sent  you,  although,  of  course,  I  didn't 
mean  to.  It  was  very  kind  of  you,  but  you  must  not  do 
anything  of  that  kind  again." 

Clavering,  who  did  not  appear  quite  himself,  watched 
her  turn  over  the  music  in  silence,  for  though  the  last 
words  were  spoken  quietly,  there  was,  he  and  Miss  Schuy- 
ler fancied,  a  definite  purpose  behind  them. 

"  Then,  you  will  sing  one  of  them  ?  "  he  said. 

Hetty  touched  the  keys — there  was  a  difference  in  her 
when  she  sang,  for  music  was  her  passion,  and  as  the 
clear  voice  thrilled  the  two  who  listened,  a  flush  of  exal- 
tation, that  was  almost  spiritual,  crept  into  her  face. 
Clavering  set  his  lips,  and  when  the  last  notes  sank  into 
the  stillness  Miss  Schuyler  wondered  what  had  brought 
the  faint  dampness  to  his  forehead.  She  did  not  know 
that  all  that  was  good  in  him  had  revolted  against  what 
he  had  done,  and  meant  to  do,  just  then,  and  had  almost 
gained  the  mastery.  Unfortunately,  instead  of  letting 
Hetty  sing  again  and  fix  Clavering's  half-formed  resolu- 
tion, she  allowed  her  distrust  of  him  to  find  expression; 
for  capable  young  woman  though  she  was.  Flora  Schuy- 
ler sometimes  blundered. 

*'  The  song  was  worth  the  effort,"  she  said.  ^'  Mr. 
Clavering  is,  however,  evidently  willing  to  do  a  good  deal 
to  give  folks  pleasure." 

Clavering  glanced  at  her  with  a  little  smile.  '*  Folks? 
That  means  more  than  one." 

222 


TORRANCE  ASKS  A  QUESTION 

"  Yes;  it  generally  means  at  least  two." 

Hetty  laughed  as  she  looked  round.  "  Is  there  any- 
body else  he  has  been  giving  music  to  ?  '* 

"  I  fancy  the  question  is  unnecessary,"  Flora  said.  "  He 
told  us  he  came  straight  here,  and  there  is  nobody  but 
you  and  I  at  Cedar  he  would  be  likely  to  bring  any- 
thing to." 

"  Of  course  not !  Well,  I  never  worry  over  your 
oracular  observations.  They  generally  mean  nothing 
when  you  understand  them,"  said  Hetty. 

Flora  Schuyler  smiled  maliciously  at  Clavering.  She 
did  not  know  that  when  a  good  deed  hung  in  the  balance 
she  had,  by  rousing  his  intolerance  of  opposition,  just 
tipped  the  beam. 


223 


XX 

Hetty's  obstinacy 

It  was  very  cold,  the  red  sun  hung  low  above  the 
prairie's  western  rim,  and  Clavering,  who  sat  behind 
Hetty  and  Miss  Schuyler  in  the  lurching  sleigh,  glanced 
over  his  shoulder  anxiously. 

"  Hadn't  you  better  pull  up  and  let  me  have  the  reins, 
Miss  Torrance?  '^  he  said. 

Hetty  laughed.  "  Why?  "  she  asked,  "  I  haven't  seen 
the  horse  I  could  not  drive." 

"  Well,"  said  Clavering  drily,  "  this  is  the  first  time 
you  have  either  seen  or  tried  to  drive  Badger,  and  I 
not  infrequently  get  out  and  lead  the  team  down  the 
slope  in  front  of  you  when  I  cross  the  creek.  It  has  a 
very  awkward  bend  in  it." 

Hetty  looked  about  her,  and,  as  it  happened,  the  glare 
of  sunlight  flung  back  from  the  snow  was  in  her  eyes. 
Still,  she  could  dimly  see  the  trail  dip  over  what  seemed 
to  be  the  edge  of  a  gully  close  ahead,  and  she  knew  the 
descent  to  the  creek  in  its  bottom  was  a  trifle  perilous. 
She  was,  however,  fearless  and  a  trifle  obstinate,  and 
Clavering  had,  unfortunately,  already  ventured  to  give 
her  what  she  considered  quite  unnecessary  instructions 
as  to  the  handling  of  the  team.  There  had  also  been  an 
indefinite  change  in  his  attitude  towards  her  during  the 
last  week  or  two,  which  the  girl,  without  exactly  knowing 
why,  resented  and  this  appeared  a  fitting  opportunity  for 
checking  any  further  presumption. 

224 


HETTY'S  OBSTINACY 

"  You  can  get  down  now  if  you  wish,"  she  said. 
"  We  will  stop  and  pick  you  up  when  we  reach  the  level 
again." 

Clavering  said  nothing  further,  for  he  knew  that  Miss 
Torrance  was  very  like  her  father  in  some  respects,  and 
Hetty  shook  the  reins.  The  next  minute  they  had  swept 
over  the  brink,  and  Flora  Schuyler  saw  the  trail  dip 
steeply  but  slantwise  to  lessen  the  gradient  to  the  frozen 
creek.  The  sinking  sun  was  hidden  by  the  high  bank 
now  and  the  snow  had  faded  to  a  cold  blue-whiteness, 
through  which  the  trail  ran,  a  faint  line  of  dusky  grey. 
It  was  difficult  to  distinguish  at  the  pace  the  team  were 
making,  and  the  ground  dropped  sharply  on  one  side 
of  it. 

"  Let  him  have  the  reins,  Hetty,"  she  said. 

Unfortunately  Clavering,  who  was  a  trifle  nettled  and 
knew  that  team,  especially  the  temper  of  Badger  the  near 
horse  better  than  Hetty  did,  laughed  just  then. 

"  Hold  fast,  Miss  Schuyler,  and  remember  that  if  any- 
thing does  happen,  the  right-hand  side  is  the  one  to  get 
out  from,"  he  said. 

"  Now,"  said  Hetty,  **  Fm  not  going  to  forgive  you 
that.  You  sit  quite  still,  and  we'll  show  him  something, 
Flo." 

She  touched  the  horses  with  the  lash,  and  Badger  flung 
up  his  head ;  another  moment  and  he  and  the  other  beast 
had  broken  into  a  gallop.  Hetty  threw  herself  back- 
wards with  both  hands  on  the  reins,  but  no  cry  escaped 
her,  and  Clavering,  who  had  a  suspicion  that  he  could 
do  no  more  than  she  was  doing  now,  even  if  he  could  get 
over  the  back  of  the  seat  in  time,  which  was  out  of  the 
question,  set  his  lips  as  he  watched  the  bank  of  snow  the 
trail  twisted  round  rush  towards  them.  The  sleigh 
bounced  beneath  him  in  another  second  or  two,  there  was 

225 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

a  stifled  scream  from  Flora  Schuyler,  and  leaning  over 
he  tore  the  robe  about  the  girls  from  its  fastenings. 
Then,  there  was  a  bewildering  jolting  and  a  crash,  and 
he  was  flung  out  head  foremost  into  dusty  snow. 

When  he  scrambled  to  his  feet  again  Hetty  was  sitting 
in  the  snow  close  by  him,  and  Flora  Schuyler  creeping 
out  of  a  wreath  of  it  on  her  hands  and  knees.  The 
sleigh  lay  on  one  side,  not  far  away,  with  the  Badger 
rolling  and  kicking  amidst  a  tangle  of  harness,  though 
the  other  horse  was  still  upon  its  feet. 

Clavering  was  pleased  to  find  all  his  limbs  intact,  and 
almost  as  gratified  to  see  only  indignant  astonishment  in 
Hetty's  face.  She  rose  before  he  could  help  her  and  in 
another  moment  or  two  Flora  Schuyler  also  stood  up- 
right, clinging  to  his  arm. 

"  No,"  she  said,  with  a  little  gasp,  "  I  don't  think  I'm 
killed,  though  I  felt  quite  sure  of  it  at  first.  Now  I  only 
feel  as  though  I'd  been  through  an  earthquake." 

Hetty  turned  and  looked  at  Clavering,  with  a  little 
red  spot  in  either  cheek.  *'  Why  don't  you  say  some- 
thing?" she  asked.     "Are  you  waiting  for  me?" 

"  I  don't  know  that  anything  very  appropriate  occurs 
to  me.  You  know  I'm  devoutly  thankful  you  have  both 
escaped  injury,"  said  the  man,  who  was  more  shaken 
than  he  cared  to  admit. 

"  Then  I'll  have  to  begin,"  and  Hetty's  eyes  sparkled. 
"  It  was  my  fault,  Mr.  Clavering,  and,  if  it  is  any  relief 
to  you,  I  feel  most  horribly  ashamed  of  my  obstinacy. 
Will  that  satisfy  you?" 

Clavering  turned  his  head  away,  for  he  felt  greatly 
inclined  to  laugh,  but  he  knew  the  Torrance  temper. 
Hetty  had  been  very  haughty  during  that  drive,  but  she 
had  not  appeared  especially  dignified  when  she  sat  blink- 
ing about  her  in  the  snow,  nor  had  Miss  Schuyler,  and 

226 


HETTY'S  OBSTINACY 

he  felt  that  they  reaHzed  it;  and  in  feminine  fashion 
blamed  him  for  being  there.  It  was  Miss  Schuyler  who 
relieved  the  situation. 

"  Hadn't  you  better  do  something  for  the  horse  ?  It 
is  apparently  trying  to  hang  itself — and  I  almost  wish 
it  would.     It  deserves  to  succeed.'' 

Clavering  could  have  done  very  little  by  himself,  but 
in  another  minute  Hetty  was  kneeling  on  the  horse's 
head,  while,  at  more  than  a  little  risk  from  the  battering 
hoofs,  he  loosed  some  of  the  harness.  Then,  the  Badger 
was  allowed  to  flounder  to  his  feet,  and  Clavering  pro- 
ceeded to  readjust  his  trappings.  A  buckle  had  drawn, 
however,  and  a  strap  had  burst. 

"  No,"  said  Hetty  sharply.  "  Not  that  way.  Don't 
you  see  you've  got  to  lead  the  trace  through.  It  is  most 
unfortunate  Larry  isn't  here." 

Clavering  glanced  at  Miss  Schuyler,  and  both  of  them 
laughed,  while  Hetty  frowned. 

"  Well,"  she  said,  '*  he  would  have  fixed  the  thing  in 
half  the  time,  and  we  can't  stay  here  for  ever." 

Clavering  did  what  he  could ;  but  repairing  harness  in 
the  open  under  twenty  or  thirty  degrees  of  frost  is  a  diffi- 
cult task  for  any  man,  especially  when  he  has  no  tools  to 
work  with  and  cannot  remove  his  mittens,  and  it  was 
at  least  twenty  minutes  before  he  somewhat  doubtfully 
announced  that  all  was  ready.  He  handed  Miss  Schuy- 
ler into  the  sleigh,  and  then  passed  the  reins  to  Hetty, 
who  stood  with  one  foot  on  the  step,  apparently  waiting 
for  something. 

"  I  don't  think  he  will  run  away  again,"  he  said. 

The  girl  glanced  at  him  sharply.  "  I  am  vexed  with 
myself.     Don't  make  me  vexed  with  you,"  she  said. 

Clavering  said  nothing,  but  took  the  reins  and  they 
slid  slowly  down  into  the  hollow,  and,  more  slowly  still, 

227 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

across  the  frozen  creek  and  up  the  opposite  ascent.     After 
awhile  Hetty  touched  his  shoulder. 

"  I  really  don't  want  to  meddle ;  but^  while  caution  is 
commendable,  it  will  be  dark  very  soon/'  she  said. 

"  Something  has  gone  wrong,"  Clavering  said  gravely. 
"  I'm  afraid  Til  have  to  get  down." 

He  stood  for  several  minutes  looking  at  the  frame  of 
the  sleigh  and  an  indented  line  ploughed  behind  it  in  the 
snow,  and  then  quietly  commenced  to  loose  the  horses. 

"  Well,"  said  Hetty  sharply,  "  what  are  you  going  to 
do?" 

"  Take  them  out,"  said  Clavering. 

"  Why?  " 

Clavering  laughed.  "  They  are  not  elephants  and  have 
been  doing  rather  more  than  one  could  expect  any  horse 
to  do.  It  is  really  not  my  fault,  you  know,  but  one  of  the 
runners  has  broken,  and  the  piece  sticks  into  the  snow." 

"  Then,  whatever  are  we  to  do?  " 

"  I  am  afraid  you  and  Miss  Schuyler  will  have  to  ride 
on  to  Allonby's.  I  can  fix  the  furs  so  they'll  make  some 
kind  of  saddle,  and  it  can't  be  more  than  eight  miles 
or  so." 

Miss  Schuyler  almost  screamed.      "  I  can't,"  she  said. 

"  Don't  talk  nonsense,  Flo,"  said  Hetty.  "  You'll  just 
have  to." 

Clavering's  fingers  were  very  cold,  and  the  girls'  still 
colder,  before  he  had  somehow  girthed  a  rug  about  each 
of  the  horses  and  ruthlessly  cut  and  knotted  the  reins. 
The  extemporized  saddles  did  not  look  very  secure,  but 
Hetty  lightly  swung  herself  into  one,  though  Miss  Schuy- 
ler found  it  difficult  to  repress  a  cry^  and  was  not  sure 
that  she  quite  succeeded,  when  Clavering  lifted  her  to  the 
other. 

*'  I'm  quite  sure  I  shall  fall  oflF,"  she  said. 

228 


HETTY'S  OBSTINACY 

Hetty  was  evidently  very  much  displeased  at  some- 
thing, for  she  seemed  to  forget  Clavering  was  there.  "  If 
you  do  ril  never  speak  to  you  again/'  she  said.  "  You 
might  have  been  fond  of  him^  Flo.  There  wasn't  the 
least  necessity  to  put  your  arm  right  around  his  neck." 

Clavering  wisely  stooped  to  do  something  to  one  of  his 
moccasins,  for  he  saw  an  ominous  sparkle  in  Miss  Schuy- 
ler's eyes,  but  he  looked  up  prematurely,  and  the  smile 
was  still  upon  his  lips  when  he  met  Hetty's  gaze. 

"  How  are  you  going  to  get  anywhere?  "  she  asked. 

"  Well,"  said  Clavering,  "  it  is  quite  a  long  while  now 
since  I  was  able  to  walk  alone." 

Hetty  shook  her  bridle,  and  the  Badger  started  at  a 
trot;  but  when  Miss  Schuyler  followed,  Clavering,  who 
fancied  that  her  prediction  would  be  fulfilled,  also  set  off 
at  a  run.  He  was,  however,  not  quite  fast  enough,  for 
when  he  reached  her  Miss  Schuyler  was  sitting  in  the 
snow.  She  appeared  to  be  unpleasantly  shaken  and  her 
lips  were  quivering.  Clavering  helped  her  to  her  feet, 
and  then  caught  the  horse. 

*'  The  wretched  thing  turned  round  and  slid  me  off," 
she  said,  when  he  came  back  with  it,  pointing  to  the  rug. 

Clavering  tugged  at  the  extemporized  girth.  "  I  am 
afraid  you  can  only  try  again.  I  don't  think  it  will  slip 
now,"  he  said. 

Miss  Schuyler,  who  had  evidently  lost  her  nerve, 
mounted  with  difficulty  and  after  trotting  for  some  min- 
utes pulled  up  once  more,  and  was  sitting  still  looking 
about  her  hopelessly  when  Clavering  rejoined  her. 

**  I  am  very  sorry,  but  I  really  can't  hold  on,"  she 
said. 

Clavering  glanced  at  the  prairie,  and  Hetty  looked  at 
him.  Nothing  moved  upon  all  the  empty  plain  which 
was  fading  to  a  curious  dusky  blue.     Darkness  crept  uj^ 

229 


THE  CATTLE-BARON^S  DAUGHTER 

across  it  from  the  east,  and  a  last  faint  patch  of  orange 
was  dying  out  on  its  western  rim,  while  with  the  ap- 
proaching night  there  came  a  stinging  cold. 

"  It  might  be  best  if  you  rode  on,  Miss  Torrance,  and 
sent  a  sleigh  back  for  us,''  he  said.  "  Walk  your  horse, 
Miss  Schuyler,  and  Til  keep  close  beside  you.  If  you 
fell  I  could  catch  you." 

Hetty's  face  was  anxious,  but  she  shook  her  head. 
"  No,  it  was  my  fault,  and  I  mean  to  see  it  through," 
she  said.  "  You  couldn't  keep  catching  her  all  the  time, 
you  know.  I'm  not  made  of  eider-down,  and  she's  a 
good  deal  heavier  than  me.  It  really  is  a  pity  you  can't 
ride,  Flo." 

"  Nevertheless,"  said  Miss  Schuyler  tartly,  "  I  can't — 
without  a  saddle — and  I'm  quite  thankful  I  can't  drive." 

Hetty  said  nothing,  and  they  went  on  in  silence,  until 
when  a  dusky  bluff  appeared  on  the  skyline,  Clavering, 
taking  the  bridle,  led  Miss  Schuyler's  horse  into  a  fork- 
ing trail. 

"  This  is  not  the  way  to  Allonby's,"  said  Hetty. 

"  No,"  said  Clavering  quietly.  "  I'm  afraid  you  would 
be  frozen  before  you  got  there.  The  homestead-boys 
who  chop  their  fuel  in  the  bluff  have,  however,  some  kind 
of  shelter,  and  I'll  make  you  a  big  fire." 

''  But "  said  Hetty. 

Clavering  checked  her  with  a  gesture.  "  Please  let  me 
fix  this  thing  for  you,"  he  said.  "  It  is  getting  horribly 
cold  already." 

They  went  on  a  trifle  faster  without  another  word,  and 
presently,  with  crackle  of  dry  twigs  beneath  them,  plod- 
ded into  the  bush.  Dim  trees  flitted  by  them,  branches 
brushed  them  as  they  passed,  and  the  stillness  and  shad- 
owiness  affected  Miss  Schuyler  uncomfortably.  She 
started  with  a  cry  when  there  was  a  sharp  patter  amidst 

230 


HETTY'S  OBSTINACY 

the  dusty  snow;  but  Clavering's  hand  was  on  the  bridle 
as  the  horse,  snorting,  flung  up  its  head. 

*'  I  think  it  was  only  a  jack-rabbit;  and  I  can  see  the 
shelter  now,"  he  said. 

A  few  moments  later  he  helped  Miss  Schuyler  down, 
and  held  out  his  hand  to  Hetty,  who  sprang  stiffly  to  the 
ground.  Then,  with  numbed  fingers,  he  broke  off  and 
struck  a  sulphur  match,  and  the  feeble  flame  showed  the 
refuge  to  which  he  had  brought  them.  It  was  just  high 
enough  to  stand  in,  and  had  three  sides  and  a  roof  of 
birch  logs,  but  the  front  was  open  and  the  soil  inside  it 
frozen  hard  as  adamant.  An  axe  and  a  saw  stood  in  a 
corner,  and  there  was  a  hearth  heaped  ready  with  kin- 
dling chips. 

''  If  you  will  wait  here  I'll  try  to  get  some  wood,"  he 
said. 

He  went  out  and  tethered  the  horses,  and  when  his 
footsteps  died  away.  Miss  Schuyler  shivering  crept  closer 
to  Hetty,  who  flung  an  arm  about  her. 

''  It's  awful,  Flo — and  it's  my  fault,"  she  said.  Then 
she  sighed.  "  It  would  all  be  so  different  if  Larry  was 
only  here." 

*'  Still,"  said  Flora  Schuyler,  "  Mr.  Clavering  has  really 
behaved  very  well;  most  men  would  have  shown  just  a 
little  temper." 

*'  I  almost  wish  he  had — it  would  have  been  so  much 
easier  for  me  to  have  kept  mine  and  overlooked  it  gra- 
ciously. Flo,  I  didn't  mean  to  be  disagreeable,  but  it's 
quite  hard  to  be  pleasant  when  one  is  in  the  wrong." 

It  was  some  time  before  Clavering  came  back  with  an 
armful  of  birch  branches,  and  a  suspiciously  reddened 
gash  in  one  of  his  moccasins — for  an  axe  ground  as  the 
Michigan  man  grinds  it  is  a  dangerous  tool  for  anyone 
not  trained  to  it  to  handle  in  the  dark.     In  ten  minutes 

231 


THE   CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

he  had  a  great  fire  blazing,  and  the  shivering  girls  felt 
their  spirits  revive  a  little  under  the  cheerful  light  and 
warmth.  Then,  he  made  a  seat  of  the  branches  close  in 
to  the  hearth  and  glanced  at  them  anxiously. 

"  If  you  keep  throwing  wood  on,  and  sit  there  with  the 
furs  wrapped  round  you,  you  will  be  able  to  keep  the  cold 
out  until  I  come  back,"  he  said. 

"  Until  you  come  back! "  said  Hetty,  checking  a  little 
cry  of  dismay.     "  Where  are  you  going  ?  " 

"  To  bring  a  sleigh.'' 

"  But  Allonby's  is  nearly  eight  miles  away.  You  could 
not  leave  us  here  three  hours." 

"  No,"  said  Clavering  gravely.  "  You  would  be  very 
cold  by  then.  Still,  you  need  not  be  anxious.  Nothing 
can  hurt  you  here;  and  I  will  come,  or  send  somebody 
for  you,  before  long." 

Hetty  sat  very  still  while  he  drew  on  the  fur  mittens 
he  had  removed  to  make  the  fire.  Then,  she  rose  sud- 
denly. 

"  No,"  she  said.  "  It  was  my  fault — and  we  cannot 
let  you  go." 

Clavering  smiled.  "  I  am  afraid  your  wishes  wouldn't 
go  quite  as  far  in  this  case  as  they  generally  do  with  me. 
You  and  Miss  Schuyler  can't  stay  here  until  I  could  get 
a  sleigh  from  Allonby's." 

He  turned  as  he  spoke,  and  was  almost  out  of  the 
shanty  before  Hetty,  stepping  forward,  laid  her  hand 
upon  his  arm. 

"  Now  I  know,"  she  said.  "  It  is  less  than  three  miles 
to  MuUer's,  but  the  homestead-boys  would  make  you  a 
prisoner  if  you  went  there.  Can't  you  see  that  would  be 
horrible  for  Flo  and  me?  It  was  my  wilfulness  that 
made  the  trouble." 

Clavering  very  gently  shook  off  her  grasp,  and  Miss 

232 


HETTY'S  OBSTINACY 

Schuyler  almost  admired  him  as  he  stood  looking  down 
upon  her  companion  with  the  flickering  firelight  on  his 
face.  It  was  a  striking  face,  and  the  smile  in  the  dark 
eyes  became  it.  Clavering  had  shaken  off  his  furs,  and 
the  close-fitting  jacket  of  dressed  deerskin  displayed  his 
lean  symmetry,  for  he  had  swung  round  in  the  entrance 
to  the  shanty  and  the  shadows  were  black  behind  him. 

"  I  think  the  fault  was  mine.  I  should  not  have  been 
afraid  of  displeasing  you,  which  is  what  encourages  me 
to  be  obstinate  now,"  he  said.  **  One  should  never  make 
wild  guesses,  should  they.  Miss  Schuyler?" 

He  had  gone  before  Hetty  could  speak  again,  and  a 
few  moments  later  the  girls  heard  a  thud  of  hoofs  as  a 
horse  passed  at  a  gallop  through  the  wood.  They  stood 
looking  at  each  other  until  the  sound  died  away,  and  only 
a  little  doleful  wind  that  sighed  amidst  the  birches  and 
the  snapping  of  the  fire  disturbed  the  silence.  Then, 
Hetty  sat  down  and  drew  Miss  Schuyler  down  beside 
her. 

"  Flo,"  she  said,  with  a  little  quiver  in  her  voice, 
"  what  is  the  use  of  a  girl  like  me  ?  I  seem  bound  to- 
make  trouble  for  everybody." 

"  It  is  not  an  unusual  complaint,  especially  when  one 
is  as  pretty  as  you  are,"  said  Miss  Schuyler.  "  Though 
I  must  confess  I  don't  quite  understand  what  you  are 
afraid  of,  Hetty." 

"  No  ?  "  said  Hetty.  "  You  never  do  seem  to  under- 
stand anything,  Flo.  If  he  goes  to  Muller's  the  home- 
stead-boys, who  are  as  fond  of  him  as  they  are  of  poison, 
might  shoot  him,  and  he  almost  deserves  it.  No,  of 
course,  after  what  he  is  doing  for  us,  I  don't  mean  that. 
It  is  the  meanness  that  is  in  me  makes  me  look  for  faults 
in  everybody.     He  was  almost  splendid — and  he  has  left 

233 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

his  furs  for  us — ^but  he  mayn't  come  back  at  all.     Oh, 
it's  horrible!" 

Hetty's  voice  grew  indistinct,  and  Flora  Schuyler 
drew  the  furs  closer  about  them,  and  slipped  an  arm 
round  her  waist.  She  began  to  feel  the  cold  again,  and 
tlie  loneliness  more,  while,  even  when  she  closed  her  eyes, 
she  could  not  shut  out  the  menacing  darkness  in  front 
of  her.  Miss  Schuyler  was  from  the  cities,  and  it  was 
not  her  fault  that,  while  she  possessed  sufficient  courage 
of  a  kind,  she  shrank  from  the  perils  of  the  wilderness. 
She  would  have  found  silence  trying,  but  the  vague 
sounds  outside,  to  which  she  could  attach  no  meaning, 
were  more  difficult  to  bear.  So  she  started  when  a  puff 
of  wind  set  the  birch  twigs  rattling  or  something  stirred 
the  withered  leaves,  and  once  or  twice  a  creaking  branch 
sent  a  thrill  of  apprehension  through  her  and  she  almost 
fancied  that  evil  faces  peered  at  her  from  the  square  gap 
of  blackness.  Now  and  then,  a  wisp  of  pungent  smoke 
curled  up  and  filled  her  eyes,  and  little  by  little  she  drew 
nearer  to  the  fire  with  a  physical  craving  for  the  warmth 
of  it  and  an  instinctive  desire  to  be  surrounded  by  its 
brightness,  until  Hetty  shook  her  roughly  by  the  arm. 

"  Flo,"  she  said,  "  you  are  making  me  almost  as  silly 
as  you  are,  and  that  capote— it's  the  prettiest  I  have  seen 
you  put  on — is  burning.  Sit  still,  or  I'll  pinch  you — 
hard." 

Hetty's  grip  had  a  salutary  efifect,  and  Miss  Schuyler, 
shaking  of¥  her  vague  terrors,  smiled  a  trifle  tremulously. 

"I  wish  you  would,"  she  said.  "Your  fingers  are 
real,  any  way.  I  can't  help  being  foolish,  Hetty — and  is 
the  thing  actually  burning?  " 

Hetty  laughed.  "  I  guessed  that  would  rouse  you — 
but  it  is,"  she  said.     "  I  have  made  my  mind  up,  Flo. 

234 


HETTY'S  OBSTINACY 

If  he  doesn't  come  in  an  hour  or  so,  we'll  go  to  Muller'c^ 
too," 

Miss  Schuyler  was  by  no  means  sure  that  this  would 
please  her,  but  she  said  nothing  and  once  more  there  was 
a  silence  she  found  it  difficult  to  bear. 

In  the  meanwhile,  Clavering,  whose  foot  pained  him, 
was  urging  the  Badger  to  his  utmost  pace.  He  rode 
1^  without  saddle  or  stirrups,  which,  however,  was  no  great 
P  handicap  to  anyone  who  had  spent  the  time  he  had  in  the 
cattle  country,  and,  though  it  was  numbingly  cold  and  he 
had  left  his  furs  behind  him,  scarcely  felt  the  frost,  for 
his  brain  was  busy.  He  knew  Hetty  Torrance,  and  that 
what  he  had  done  w^ould  count  for  much  with  her;  but 
that  was  not  what  had  prompted  him  to  make  the  some- 
what perilous  venture.  Free  as  he  was  in  his  gallantries, 
he  was  not  without  the  chivalrous  daring  of  the  South  his 
fathers  came  from,  and  Hetty  was  of  his  own  caste. 
She,  at  least,  Vvould  have  been  sure  of  deference  from 
him,  and,  perhaps,  have  had  little  cause  for  complaint 
had  he  married  her.  Of  late  the  admiration  he  felt  for 
her  was  becoming  tinged  with  a  genuine  respect. 

He  knew  that  the  homesteaders,  who  had  very  little 

»  cause  to  love  him,  were  in  a  somewhat  dangerous  mood 
just  then,  but  that  was  of  no  great  moment  to  him. 
He  had  a  cynical  contempt  for  them,  and  a  pride  which 
would  have  made  him  feel  degraded  had  he  allowed  any  <. 
fear  of  what  they  might  do  to  influence  him.  He  had 
also,  with  less  creditable  motives,  found  himself  in  diffi- 
cult positions  once  or  twice  already,  and  his  quickly 
arrogant  fearlessness  had  enabled  him  to  retire  from 
them  without  bodily  hurt  or  loss  of  dignity. 

The  lights  of  Muller's  homestead  rose  out  of  the  prairie 
almost  before  he  expected  to  see  them,  and  a  few  minutes 
later  he  rode  at  a  gallop  up  to  the  door.    It  opened  before 

23s 


THE  GATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

he  swung  himself  down,  for  the  beat  of  hoofs  had  carried 
far,  and  when  he  stood  in  the  entrance,  slightly  dazed  by 
the  warmth  and  light,  there  was  a  murmur  of  wonder. 

"  Clavering ! ''  said  somebody,  and  a  man  he  could  not 
clearly  see  laid  a  hand  on  his  shoulder. 

He  shook  the  grasp  off  contemptuously,  moved  for- 
ward a  pace  or  two,  and  then  sat  down  blinking  about 
him.  Muller  sat  by  the  stove,  a  big  pipe  in  hand,  looking 
at  him  over  his  spectacles.  His  daughter  stood  behind 
him  knitting  tranquilly,  though  there  was  a  shade  more 
colour  than  usual  in  her  cheeks,  and  a  big,  grim-faced 
man  stood  at  the  end  of  the  room  with  one  hand  on 
a  rifle  that  hung  on  the  wall.  Clavering  instinctively 
glanced  over  his  shoulder,  and  saw  that  another  man  now 
stood  with  his  back  to  the  door. 

"  You  have  come  alone  ?  "  asked  the  latter. 

"  Oh,  yes,'*  said  Clavering  unconcernedly.  "  You 
might  put  my  horse  in,  one  of  you.  If  I  could  have 
helped  it,  I  would  not  have  worried  you,  but  my  sleigh 
got  damaged  and  Miss  Torrance  and  another  lady  are 
freezing  in  the  Bitter  Creek  bluff,  and  I  know  you  don't 
hurt  women." 

"  No,"  said  the  man  dropping  his  hand  from  the  rifle, 
with  a  little  unpleasant  laugh.  "  We  haven't  got  that 
far  yet,  though  your  folks  are  starving  them." 

"  Well,"  said  Clavering,  **  I'm  going  to  ask  you  to  send 
a  sledge  and  drive  them  back  to  Cedar  or  on  to  Al- 
lonby's." 

The  men  exchanged  glances.    "  It's  a  trick,"  said  one. 

"  So !  "  said  Muller.  "  Der  ambuscade.  Lotta,  you 
ride  to  Fremont,  und  Larry  bring.  I  show  you  how 
when  we  have  drubbles  mit  der  franc  tireurs  we  fix  der 
thing." 

Clavering    exclaimed    impatiently.     "  You    have    no 

236 


HETTY'S  OBSTINACY 

time  for  fooling  when  there  are  two  women  freezings 
in  the  bluff.  Would  I  have  come  here,  knowing  you 
could  do  what  you  liked  with  me,  if  I  had  meant  any 
harm  to  you  ?  " 

"  That's  sense,  any  way,''  said  one  of  the  men.  "  I 
guess  if  he  was  playing  any  trick,  one  of  us  would  be 
quite  enough  to  get  even  with  him.  You'll  take  Trus- 
cott  with  you,  Muller,  and  get  out  the  bob-sled." 

Muller  nodded  gravely.  "  I  go,"  he  said.  **  Lotta, 
you  der  big  kettle  fill  before  you  ride  for  Larry.  We 
der  bob-sled  get  ready." 

"  You  are  not  going  to  be  sorry,"  said  Clavering. 
"  This  thing  will  pay  you  better  than  farming." 

The  man  by  the  door  turned  with  a  hard  laugh. 
"  Well,"  he  said,  ^'  I  guess  we'd  feel  mean  for  ever  i£ 
w^e  took  a  dollar  from  you !  " 

Clavering  ignored  the  speech.  "  Do  you  want  me?  ^' 
he  said,  glancing  at  Muller. 

"  No,"  said  the  man,  who  now  took  down  the  rifle 
from  the  wall.  '*  Not  just  yet.  You're  going  to  stop 
right  where  you  are.  The  boys  can  do  without  me,  and 
I'll  keep  you  company." 

Ten  minutes  later  the  others  drove  away,  and,  witK 
a  significant  gesture,  Clavering's  companion  laid  the  rifle 
across  his  knees. 


237 


XXI 

CLAVERING   APPEARS   RIDICULOUS 

There  was  silence  in  the  log-house  when  the  men 
drove  away,  and  Clavering,  who  sat  in  a  corner,  found 
the  time  pass  heavily.  A  clock  ticked  noisily  upon  the 
wall,  and  the  stove  crackled  when  the  draughts  flowed 
in;  but  this,  he  felt,  only  made  the  stillness  more  ex- 
asperating. The  big,  hard-faced  bushman  sat  as  motion- 
less as  a  statue  and  almost  as  expressionless,  with  a 
brown  hand  resting  on  the  rifle  across  his  knees»  in 
front  of  a  row  of  shelves  which  held  Miss  MuUer's 
crockery.  Clavering  felt  his  fingers  quiver  in  a  fit  of 
anger  as  he  watched  the  man,  but  he  shook  it  from  him, 
knowing  that  he  would  gain  nothing  by  yielding  to  futile 
passion. 

"  I  guess  I  can  smoke,"  he  said  flinging  his  cigar-case 
on  the  table.     "Take  one  if  you  feel  like  it.'' 

The  swiftness  with  which  the  man's  eyes  followed  the 
first  move  of  his  prisoner's  hand  was  significant,  but  he 
shook  his  head  deliberately. 

"  I  don't  know  any  reason  why  you  shouldn't,  but  you 
can  keep  your  cigars  for  your  friends,"  he  said. 

He  drawled  the  words  out,  but  the  vindictive  dis- 
like in  his  eyes  made  them  very  expressive,  and  Claver- 
ing, who  saw  it,  felt  that  any  attempt  to  gain  his  jailer's 
goodwill  would  be  a  failure.     As  though  to  give  point  to 

238 


GLAVERING  APPEARS  RIDICULOUS 

the  speech,  the  man  took  out  a  pipe  and  slowly  filled  it 
with  tobacco  from  a  little  deerskin  bag. 

*'  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  me  ?  "  asked  Claver- 
ing,  partly  to  hide  his  anger,  and  partly  because  he  was 
more  than  a  little  curious  on  the  subject. 

"  Well/'  said  the  man  reflectively.  "  I  don't  quite 
know.  Keep  you  here  until  Larry  comes,  any  way.  It 
wouldn't  take  long  to  fix  it  so  you'd  be  sorry  you  had 
worried  poor  folks  if  the  boys  would  listen  to  me." 

This  was  even  less  encouraging;  but  there  were  still 
points  on  which  Clavering  desired  enlightenment. 

"  Will  Muller  bring  Miss  Torrance  and  her  companion 
here  ?  "  he  asked. 

The  bushman  nodded.  "  I  guess  he  will.  It's  quite 
a  long  way  to  Allonby's,  and  they'll  be  'most  frozen  after 
waiting  in  the  bluff.  Now,  I'm  not  anxious  for  any 
more  talk  with  you." 

A  little  flush  crept  into  Clavering's  forehead;  but  it 
was  not  the  man's  contemptuous  brusqueness  which 
brought  it  there,  though  that  was  not  without  its  effect. 
It  was  evident  that  the  most  he  could  hope  for  was 
Larry's  clemency,  and  that  would  be  difficult  to  tolerate. 
But  there  was  another  ordeal  before  him.  Hetty  was 
also  coming  back,  and  would  see  him  a  prisoner  in  the 
hands  of  the  men  he  had  looked  down  upon  with  ironical 
contempt.  Had  the  contempt  been  assumed,  his  posi- 
tion would  have  been  less  intolerable;  but  it  was  not, 
and  the  little  delicately  venomous  jibes  he  seldom  lost 
an  opportunity  of  flinging  at  the  homesteaders  expressed 
no  more  than  he  felt,  and  were  now  and  then  war- 
ranted. 

Clavering,  of  course,  knew  that  to  pose  as  a  prisoner 
as  the  result  of  his  efforts  on  her  behalf  would  stir  Hetty's 
sympathy,  and  his  endurance  of  persecution  at  the  hands 

239 


THE  GATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

of  the  rabble  for  his  adherence  to  the  principles  he  fan- 
cied she  held  would  further  raise  him  in  her  estimation ; 
but  he  had  no  desire  to  acquire  her  regard  in  that 
fashion.  He  would  have  preferred  to  take  the  chances 
of  a  riide-shot,  for  while  he  had  few  scruples  he  had  been 
born  with  a  pride  which,  occasionally  at  least,  prevented 
his  indulgence  in  petty  knavery ;  and,  crushing  down  his 
anger,  he  set  himself  to  consider  by  what  means  he  could 
extricate  himself. 

None,  however,  were  very  apparent.  The  home- 
steader showed  no  sign  of  drowsiness  or  relaxed  vigi- 
lance, but  sat  tranquilly  alert,  watching  him  through  the 
curling  smoke.  It  was  also  some  distance  to  the  door, 
which,  from  where  Clavering  sat,  appeared  to  be  fas- 
tened and  he  knew  the  quick  precision  with  which  the 
bushman  can  swing  up  a  rifle,  or  if  it  suits  him  fire 
from  the  hip.  A  dash  for  liberty  could,  he  fancied,  have 
only  one  result ;  it  was  evident  that  he  must  wait. 

Now  waiting  is  difficult  to  most  men,  and  especially  to 
those  in  whose  veins  there  flows  the  hot  Southern  blood, 
and  Clavering  felt  the  taste  of  the  second  excellent  cigar 
grow  bitter  in  his  mouth.  He  sat  very  still,  with  half- 
closed  eyes,  and  a  little  ironical  smile  upon  his  lips  when 
his  grim  companion  glanced  at  him.  In  the  mean- 
time the  stove  crackled  less  noisily  and  the  room  grew 
steadily  colder.  But  Clavering  scarcely  felt  the  chill, 
even  when  the  icy  draughts  whirled  the  cigar-smoke 
about  him,  for  he  began  to  see  that  an  opportunity  would 
be  made  for  him,  and  waited,  strung  up  and  intent. 
When  he  thought  he  could  do  so  unobserved,  he  glanced 
at  the  clock  whose  fingers  now  moved  with  a  distressful 
rapidity,  knowing  that  his  chance  would  be  gone  if  the 
bobsled  arrived  before  the  cold  grew  too  great  for  his 
jailer. 

240 


CLAVERING  APPEARS  RIDICULOUS 

Ten  minutes  dragged  by,  then  another  five,  and  still 
the  man  sat  smoking  tranquilly,  while  Clavering  realized 
that,  allowing  for  all  probable  delays,  Muller  and  Miss 
Torrance  should  arrive  before  the  half-hour  was  up. 
Ten  more  minutes  fled  by,  and  Clavering,  quivering  in 
an  agony  of  impatience,  found  it  almost  impossible  to  sit 
still ;  but  at  last  the  bushman  stood  up  and  laid  his  rifle 
on  the  table. 

"  You  will  stop  right  where  you  are,"  he  said.  "  I'm 
going  to  put  a  few  billets  in  the  stove." 

Clavering  nodded,  for  he  dared  not  trust  himself  to 
speak,  and  the  man,  who  took  up  an  armful  of  the  billets, 
dropped  a  few  of  them  through  the  open  top  of  the  stove. 
One,  as  it  happened,  jammed  inside  it,  so  that  he  could 
get  no  more  in,  and  he  laid  hold  of  an  iron  scraper  to 
free  it  with.  He  now  stood  with  his  back  to  Clavering, 
but  the  rifle  still  lay  within  his  reach  upon  the  table. 

Clavering  rose  up,  and,  though  his  injured  foot  was 
painful,  moved  forward  a  pace  or  two  noiselessly  in  his 
soft  moccasins.  A  billet  had  rolled  in  his  direction,  and 
swaying  lithely  from  the  waist,  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  man,  he  seized  it.  The  homesteader  was  stooping 
still,  and  he  made  another  pace,  crouching  a  trifle,  with 
every  muscle  hardening. 

Then,  the  man  turned  sharply,  and  hurled  the  scraper 
straight  at  Clavering.  It  struck  him  on  the  face,  but  he 
launched  himself  forward,  and,  while  the  homesteader 
grabbed  at  his  rifle,  fell  upon  him.  He  felt  the  thud  of 
the  billet  upon  something  soft,  but  the  next  moment  it 
was  torn  from  him,  the  rifle  fell  with  a  clatter,  and  he 
and  the  bushman  reeled  against  the  stove  together. 
Then,  they  fell  against  the  shelves  and  with  a  crash  they 
and  the  crockery  went  down  upon  the  floor. 

Clavering  was  supple  and  wiry  and  just  then  con- 

241 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

sumed  with  an  almost  insensate  fury.  He  came  down 
uppermost  but  his  adversary's  leg  was  hooked  round  his 
knee,  and  the  grip  of  several  very  hard  fingers  unpleas- 
antly impeded  his  respiration.  Twice  he  struck  savagely 
at  a  half-seen  brown  face,  but  the  grip  did  not  relax, 
and  the  knee  he  strove  to  extricate  began  to  pain  him 
horribly.  The  rancher  possessed  no  mean  courage  and 
a  traditional  belief  in  the  prowess  of  his  caste,  was  famed 
for  proficiency  in  most  manly  sports;  but  that  did  not 
alter  the  fact  that  the  other  man's  muscle,  hardened  by 
long  use  of  the  axe,  was  greater  than  his  own,  and  the 
stubborn  courage  which  had  upheld  the  homesteader  in 
his  struggle  with  adverse  seasons  and  the  encroaching 
forest  was  at  least  the  equal  of  that  born  in  Clavering. 

So  the  positions  were  slowly  reversed,  until  at  last 
Clavering  lay  with  his  head  amidst  a  litter  of  broken 
cups  and  plates,  and  the  homesteader  bent  over  him  with 
a  knee  upon  his  chest. 

"  I  guess  you've  had  'bout  enough,"  he  said.  "  Will 
you  let  up,  or  do  you  want  me  to  pound  the  life  out 
of  you?" 

Clavering  could  not  speak,  but  he  managed  to  make 
a  movement  with  his  head,  and  the  next  moment  the  man 
had  dragged  him  to  his  feet  and  flung  him  against  the 
table.  He  caught  at  it,  gasping,  while  his  adversary 
picked  up  the  rifle. 

"  You  will  be  sorry  for  this  night's  work  yet,"  he 
said. 

The  homesteader  laughed  derisively.  "  Well,"  he 
said,  "  I  guess  you're  sorry  now.  Anyone  who  saw  you 
would  think  you  were.  Get  right  back  to  the  chair  yon- 
der and  stay  there." 

It  was  at  least  five  minutes  before  Clavering  recovered 
sufficiently  to  survey  himself,   and  then  he  groaned. 

242 


CLAVERING  APPEARS  RIDICULOUS 

His  deerskin  jacket  was  badly  rent,  there  was  a  great 
burn  on  one  side  of  it,  and  several  red  scratches  defaced 
his  hands.  From  the  splotches  on  them  after  he  brushed 
back  his  ruffled  hair  he  also  had  a  suspicion  that  his  head 
was  cut,  and  the  tingling  where  the  scraper  had  struck 
him  suggested  a  very  visible  weal.  He  felt  dizzy  and 
shaken,  but  his  physical  was  less  than  his  mental  distress. 
Clavering  was  distinguished  for  his  artistic  taste  in  dress 
and  indolent  grace;  but  no  man  appears  dignified  or 
courtly  with  discoloured  face,  tattered  garments,  and 
dishevelled  hair.  He  thought  he  heard  the  bob-sled  com- 
ing and  in  desperation  glanced  at  his  jailer. 

*'  If  you  would  like  ten  dollars  you  have  only  got  to 
let  me  slip  into  that  other  room,"  he  said. 

The  bushman  grinned  sardonically,  and  Clavering's 
fears  were  confirmed.  "  You're  that  pretty  I  wouldn't 
lose  sight  of  you  for  a  hundred,*'  he  said.  "  No,  sir ; 
you're  going  to  stop  where  you  are." 

Clavering  anathematized  him  inwardly,  knowing  that 
the  beat  of  hoofs  was  unmistakable — ^he  must  face  what 
he  dreaded  most.  A  sword-cut,  or  even  a  rifle-shot, 
would,  he  fancied,  have  entitled  him  to  sympathy,  not 
untinged  with  admiration,  but  he  was  unpleasantly 
aware  that  a  man  damaged  in  an  encounter  with  nature's 
weapons  is  apt  to  appear  either  brutal  or  ludicrous,  and 
he  had  noticed  Miss  Torrance's  sensibility.  He  set  his 
lips,  and  braced  himself  for  the  meeting. 

A  few  minutes  later  the  door  opened,  and,  followed 
by  the  fraulein  MuUer,  Hetty  and  Miss  Schuyler  came 
in.  They  did  not  seem  to  have  suffered  greatly  in  the 
interval,  which  Clavering  knew  was  not  the  case  with 
him,  and  he  glanced  at  the  homesteader  with  a  little 
venomous  glow  in  his  eyes  when  Hetty  turned  to  him. 

"  Oh !  "  she  said  with  a  gasp,  and  her  face  grew  pale 

243 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

and  stern  as  closing  one  hand  she,  too,  looked  at  the 
bushman. 

Clavering  took  heart  at  this;  but  his  enemy's  vindic- 
tiveness  was  evidently  not  exhausted,  for  he  nodded 
comprehendingly. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  **  he's  damaged.  He  got  kind  of  sav- 
age a  little  while  ago,  and  before  I  could  quiet  him  he 
broke  up  quite  a  lot  of  crockery." 

The  imperious  anger  faded  out  of  Hetty's  face,  and 
Flora  Schuyler  understood  why  it  did  so  as  she  glanced 
at  Clavering.  There  was  nothing  that  could  appeal  to  a 
fastidious  young  woman's  fancy  about  him  just  then; 
he  reminded  Miss  Schuyler  of  a  man  she  had  once  seen 
escorted  homewards  by  his  drunken  friends  after  a 
fracas  in  the  Bowery.  At  the  same  time  it  was  evident 
that  Hetty  recognized  her  duty,  and  was  sensible,  if  not 
of  admiration,  at  least  of  somewhat  tempered  sympathy. 

"I  am  dreadfully  sorry,  Mr.  Clavering — and  it  was 
all  my  fault,"  she  said.  "  I  hope  they  didn't  hurt  you 
very  much." 

Clavering,  who  had  risen,  made  her  a  little  inclina- 
tion ;  but  he  also  set  his  lips,  for  Hetty  had  not  expressed 
herself  very  tactfully,  and  just  then  Muller  and  another 
man  came  in  and  stood  staring  at  them.  The  rancher 
endeavoured  to  smile,  with  very  small  success  for  he 
was  consumed  with  an  unsatisfied  longing  to  destroy 
the  bushman. 

"  I  don't  think  you  need  be,  Miss  Torrance,"  he  said. 
"I  am  only  sorry  I  could  not  come  back  for  you;  but 
unfortunately — circumstances — prevented  me." 

"You  have  done  enough,"  said  Hetty  impulsively, 
apparently  forgetting  the  presence  of  the  rest.  "  It 
was  splendid  of  you." 

Then  the  bushman  looked  up  again  with  an  almost 

244 


CLAVERING  APPEARS  RIDICULOUS 

silent  chuckle.  "  I  guess  if  it  had  been  your  plates  he 
sat  on,  you  wouldn't  be  quite  so  sure  of  it — and  the  cir- 
cumstance was  me/'  he  said. 

Hetty  turned  from  the  speaker,  and  glanced  at  the 
rest.  MuUer  was  standing  near  the  door,  with  his  spec- 
tacles down  on  his  nose  and  mild  inquiry  in  his  pale  blue 
eyes,  and  a  big  bronzed  Dakota  man  beside  him  was 
grinning  visibly.  The  fraulein  was  kneeling  despair- 
ingly amidst  her  shattered  china,  while  Flora  Schuyler 
leaned  against  the  table  with  her  lips  quivering  and  a 
most  suspicious  twinkle  in  her  eyes. 

"  Flo,"  said  Hetty  half-aloud.     ''  How  can  you?  '' 

"  I  don't  know,''  said  Miss  Schuyler,  with  a  little  gasp. 
"  Don't  look  at  me,  Hetty.     I  really  can't  help  it." 

Hetty  said  no  more,  but  she  glanced  at  the  red-cheeked 
fraulein,  who  was  gazing  at  a  broken  piece  of  crockery 
with  tearful  eyes,  and  turned  her  head  away.  Claver- 
ing  saw  the  effort  it  cost  her  to  keep  from  laughing,  and 
writhed. 

"  Well,"  said  the  man  who  had  come  with  Muller, 
pointing  to  the  wreck,  '*  what  started  you  smashing  up 
the  house  ?  " 

"  It's  quite  simple,"  said  the  bushman.  "  Mr.  Cla- 
vering  and  I  didn't  quite  agree.  He  had  a  billet  in  his 
hand  when  he  crept  up  behind  me,  and  somehow  we  fell 
into  the  crockery.  I  didn't  mean  to  damage  him,  but 
he  wanted  to-  get  away,  you  see." 

Hetty  swung  round  towards  Muller.  "  You  haven't 
dared  to  make  Mr.  Clavering  a  prisoner?  " 

Muller  was  never  very  quick  at  speech,  and  the  Amer- 
ican by  his  side  answered  for  him.  "  Well,  we  have  got 
to  keep  him  until  Larry  comes.  He'll  be  here  'most 
directly." 

245 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  Flo/'  said  Hetty,  with  relief  in  her  face,  "  Larry  is 
coming.     We  need  not  worry  about  anything  now." 

The  fraulein  had  risen  in  the  meanwhile,  and  was 
busy  with  the  kettle  and  a  frying-pan.  By  and  by,  she 
set  a  steaming  jug  of  coffee  and  a  hot  cornmeal  cake 
before  her  guests  for  whom  Muller  had  drawn  out 
chairs.  They  were  glad  of  the  refreshment,  and  still 
more  pleased  when  Grant  and  Breckenridge  came  in. 
When  Larry  shook  hands  with  them,  Hetty  contrived 
to  whisper  in  his  ear : 

"  If  you  want  to  please  me,  get  Clavering  away.'' 

Grant  glanced  at  her  somewhat  curiously,  but  both 
were  sensible  that  other  eyes  were  upon  them,  and  with 
a  just  perceptible  nod  he  passed  on  with  Muller  into  the 
adjoining  room.  Clavering  and  the  two  Americans  fol- 
lowed him  with  Breckenridge,  and  Grant  who  had  heard 
something  of  what  had  happened  from  the  fraulein,  asked 
a  few  questions. 

"  You  can  go  when  it  pleases  you,  Clavering/'  he  said. 
*^  I  am  sorry  you  have  received  some  trifling  injury,  but 
I  have  an  idea  that  you  brought  it  upon  yourself.  In 
the  face  of  your  conduct  to  them  it  seems  to  me  that 
my  friends  were  warranted  in  detaining  you  until  they 
made  sure  of  the  correctness  of  your  story." 

Clavering  flushed,  for  there  was  a  contemptuous  in- 
cisiveness  in  Grant's  voice  which  stung  his  pride. 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  am  very  grateful/'  he  said  an- 
grily, "  and  you  are  probably  doing  this  because  it  suits 
you.  In  any  case,  your  friends  dare  not  have  offered 
violence  to  me." 

Grant  smiled  grimly.  "  I  wouldn't  try  them  too  far. 
But  I  don't  quite  catch  your  meaning.  I  can  gain  noth- 
ing by  letting  you  go." 

"  It  should  be  tolerably  plain.     I  fancied  you  desired 

246 


CLAVERING  APPEARS  RIDICULOUS 

to  please  some  friends  at  Cedar  who  send  money  to 
you." 

There  was  a  murmur  of  astonishment  from  the  rest 
and  Clavering  saw  that  the  shot  had  told. 

"  I  guess  he's  lying,  Larry,"  said  one  of  them. 

Grant  stood  still  a  moment  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  Cla- 
vering. *'  I  wonder,"  he  said,  "  if  you  are  hazarding 
a  guess." 

"  No,"  said  Clavering,  "  I  don't  think  I  am.  I  know 
you  got  a  wallet  of  dollars — though  I  don't  know  who 
sent  them.     Are  you  prepared  to  deny  it?  " 

"  I'm  not  prepared  to  exchange  any  words  with  you," 
said  Grant.  "  Go  while  the  door  is  open,  and  it  would 
not  be  advisable  for  you  to  fall  into  our  hands  again. 
We  hanged  a  friend  of  yours  who,  I  fancy,  lived  up  to, 
at  least,  as  high  a  standard  as  you  seem  to  do." 

When  Clavering  had  left  the  room,  the  others  turned 
to  Grant.     "  You  have  something  to  tell  us  ?  " 

''  No,"  said  Grant  quietly.     "  I  don't  think  I  have." 

The  men  looked  at  each  other,  and  one  of  them  said, 
"  That  fellow's  story  sounded  kind  of  ugly.  What  were 
you  taking  dollars  from  the  cattle-men  for,  Larry?" 

Grant  saw  the  growing  distrust  in  their  eyes,  but  his 
own  were  resolute. 

"  I  can't  help  that,"  he  said.  *'  I  am  with  you,  as  I 
have  always  been,  but  there  are  affairs  of  mine  I  can't 
have  anybody  inquiring  into.  That  is  all  I  can  tell  you. 
You  will  have  to  take  me  on  trust." 

"  You're  making  it  hard,"  said  the  man  who  had 
spoken  first. 

Before  Grant  could  answer,  Clavering  returned  ready 
for  his  ride,  but  Grant  gave  him  no  opportunity  to  ad- 
dress Hetty  and  Miss  Schuyler.     ''  It  is  too  far  to  drive 

247 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

to  Allonby's  in  the  sled,"  he  said  to  them.  "  My  sleigh 
is  at  your  service.     Shall  I  drive  you  ?  " 

Hetty,  for  a  moment,  looked  irresolute,  but  she  saw 
Clavering's  face,  and  remembered  what  was  due  to  him 
and  what  he  had  apparently  suffered  for  her  sake. 

'*  It  wouldn't  be  quite  fair  to  dismiss  Mr.  Clavering  in 
that  fashion,"  she  said. 

Grant  glanced  at  her,  and  the  girl  longed  for  an  oppor- 
tunity of  making  him  understand  what  influenced  her. 
But  this  was  out  of  the  question. 

"  Then,  if  he  will  be  surety  for  their  safety,  the  team 
is  at  Mr.  Clavering's  disposal,"  he  said. 

Clavering  said  nothing  to  Grant,  but  he  thrust  his 
hand  into  his  pocket  and  laid  a  five-dollar  bill  on  the 
table. 

"  I  am  very  sorry  I  helped  to  destroy  some  of  your 
crockery,  fraulein,  and  this  is  the  only  amend  I  can 
make,"  he  said.  **  If  I  knew  how  to  replace  the  broken 
things  I  wouldn^t  have  ventured  to  offer  it  to  you." 

The  little  deprecatory  gesture  was  graceful,  and  Hetty 
flashed  an  approving  glance  at  him;  but  she  also  looked 
at  Grant,  as  if  to  beseech  his  comprehension,  when  she 
went  out.  Larry,  however,  did  not  understand  her,  and 
stood  gravely  aside  as  she  passed  him.  He  said  nothing, 
but  when  he  was  fastening  the  fur  robe  round  her  in 
the  sleigh  Hetty  spoke. 

"  Larry,"  she  said  softly,  "  can't  you  understand  that 
one  has  to  do  the  square  thing  to  everybody?  " 

Then,  Clavering,  who  could  not  hear  what  she  was 
saying,  flicked  the  horses  and  the  sleigh  slid  away  into 
the  darkness. 

A  moment  or  two  later,  while  the  men  still  Hngered 
talking  without  and  Larry  stood  putting  on  his  furs  in 
the  room,  Breckenridge  saw  Miss  Muller,  who  had  been 

248 


CLAVERING  APPEARS  RIDICULOUS 

gazing  at  the  money  rise,  and  as  though  afraid  her  reso- 
lution might  fail  her,  hastily  thrust  it  into  the  stove. 

"  You  are  right,"  he  said.  "  That  was  an  abominably 
unfair  shot  of  Clavering's,  Larry.  Of  course,  you 
couldn't  answer  him  or  tell  anybody,  but  it's  horribly  un- 
fortunate. The  thing  made  the  impression  he  meant 
it  to." 

**  Well,"  said  Larry  bitterly,  *'  I  have  got  to  bear  it 
with  the  rest.  I  can't  see  any  reason  for  being  pleased 
with  anything  to-night." 

Breckenridge  nodded,  but  once  more  a  little  twinkle 
crept  into  his  eyes.  "  I  scarcely  think  you  need  worry 
about  one  trifle,  any  way,"  he  said.'  "  If  you  think  Miss 
Torrance  or  Miss  Schuyler  wanted  Clavering  to  drive 
them,  you  must  be  unusually  dense.  They  only  asked 
him  to  because  they  have  a  sense  of  fairness,  and  I'd 
stake  a  good  many  dollars  on  the  fact  that  when  Miss 
Schuyler  first  saw  him  she  was  convulsed  with  laughter." 

'*  Did  Miss  Torrance  seem  amused  ? "  Grant  asked 
eagerly. 

"Yes,"  said  Breckenridge  decisively.  "  She  did 
though  she  tried  to  hide  it.  Miss  Torrance  has,  of 
course,  a  nice  appreciation  of  what  is  becoming.  In 
fact,  her  taste  is  only  slightly  excelled  by  Miss  Schuy- 
ler's." 

Grant  stared  at  him  for  a  moment,  and  then  for  the 
first  time,  during  several  anxious  months,  broke  into  a 
great  peal  of  laughter. 


249 


XXII 

THE   CAVALRY   OFFICER 

The  winter  was  relaxing  its  iron  grip  at  last  and 
there  were  alternations  of  snow  and  thaw  and  frost 
when  one  evening  a  few  of  his  scctttered  neighbours  as- 
sembled at  AUonby's  ranch.  Clavering  was  there,  with 
Torrance,  Hetty,  and  Miss  Schuyler,  among  the  rest; 
but  though  the  guests  made  a  spirited  attempt  to  appear 
unconcerned,  the  signs  of  care  were  plainer  in  their 
faces  than  when  they  last  met,  and  there  were  times 
when  the  witty  sally  fell  curiously  flat.  The  strain  was 
beginning  to  tell,  and  even  the  most  optimistic  realized 
that  the  legislature  of  the  State  was  more  inclined  to 
resent  than  yield  to  any  further  pressure  that  could  be 
exerted  by  the  cattle-barons.  The  latter  were,  however, 
proud  and  stubborn  men,  who  had  unostentatiously  di- 
rected affairs  so  long  that  they  found  it  difficult  to  grasp 
the  fact  that  their  ascendancy  was  vanishing.  Show- 
ing a  bold  front  still,  they  stubbornly  disputed  posses- 
sion of  every  acre  of  land  the  homesteaders  laid  claim 
upon.  The  latters*  patience  was  almost  gone,  and  the 
more  fiery  spirits  were  commencing  to  obstruct  their 
leader's  schemes  by  individual  retaliation  and  occasion- 
ally purposeless  aggression. 

Torrance  seemed  older  and  grimmer,  his  daughter 
paler,  and  there  were  moments  when  anxiety  was  ap- 
parent even  in  Clavering's  usually  careless  face.     He 

250 


THE  CAVALRY  OFFICER 

at  least,  was  already  feeling  the  pinch  of  straitened 
finances,  and  his  only  consolations  were  the  increasing 
confidence  that  Torrance  reposed  in  him,  and  Hetty's 
graciousness  since  his  capture  by  the  homesteaders.  It 
was,  perhaps,  not  astonishing  that  he  should  mistake 
its  meaning,  for  he  had  no  means  of  knowing,  as  Miss 
Schuyler  did,  that  the  cattle-baron's  daughter  met  Larry 
Grant  now  and  then. 

Hetty  was  sitting  in  a  corner  of  the  big  room,  with 
Flo  Schuyler  and  Christopher  Allonby  close  at  hand, 
and  during  a  lull  in  the  conversation  she  turned  to  him 
with  a  smile. 

"  You  find  us  a  little  dull  to-night,  Chris  ?  "  she  said. 

Allonby  laughed.  ''  There  was  a  time  when  you  de- 
lighted in  trapping  me  into  admissions  of  that  kind,  but 
I'm  growing  wise,"  he  said.  "  In  fact,  another  year 
like  this  one  would  make  an  old  man  of  me.  I  don't 
mind  admitting  that  there  is  something  wrong  with  the 
rest.  I  have  told  them  the  stories  they  have  laughed 
over  the  last  three  years,  and  could  not  raise  a  smile 
from  one  of  them ;  and  when  I  got  my  uncle  started  play- 
ing cards  I  actually  believe  your  father  forgot  what 
trumps  were,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life ! " 

**  That  is  significant,"  said  Hetty,  whose  face  had 
grown  serious.  **  Nothing  has  gone  well  for  us  lately, 
Chris." 

Allonby  sighed.  "  We  don't  like  to  acknowledge  it, 
but  it's  a  fact,"  he  said.  "  Still,  there's  hope  yet,  if  we 
can  just  stir  up  the  homestead-boys  into  wrecking  a 
railroad  bridge  or  burning  somebody's  ranch." 

**  It  is  a  little  difficult  to  imderstand  how  that  would 
improve  aflfairs,  especially  for  the  man  whose  place  was 
burned,"  said  Miss  Schuyler  drily. 

''  One  can't  afford  to  be  too  particular,"  said  Allonby, 

251 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

with  a  deprecating  gesture.  "  You  see,  once  they 
started  in  to  do  that  kind  of  thing  the  State  would  have 
to  crush  them,  which,  of  course,  would  suit  us  quite 
nicely.  As  it  is,  after  the  last  affair  at  Hamlin's,  they 
have  sent  in  a  draft  of  cavalry." 

''  And  you  are  naturally  taking  steps  to  bring  about 
the  things  that  would  suit  you?  "  asked  Flora  Schuyler. 

Allonby  did  not  see  the  snare.  "  Well,''  he  said,  "  I 
am  not  an  admirer  of  Clavering,  but  I'm  willing  to 
admit  that  he  has  done  everything  he  could;  in  fact, 
I'm  'most  astonished  they  have  stood  him  so  long,  and 
I  don't  think  they  would  have  done  so,  but  for  Larry. 
Anyway,  it's  comforting  to  know  Larry  is  rapidly  mak- 
ing himself  unpopular  among  them." 

A  spot  of  colour  showed  in  Hetty's  cheek,  and  there 
was  a  little  gleam  in  Flora  Schuyler's  eyes  as  she  fixed 
them  on  the  lad. 

"  You  evidently  consider  Mr.  Grant  is  taking  an  un- 
warranted liberty  in  persuading  his  friends  to  behave 
themselves  as  lawful  citizens  should?"  she  said. 

"  I  don't  quite  think  you  understand  me,  of  course, 
one  could  scarcely  expect  it  from  a  lady ;  but  if  you  look 
at  the  thing  from  our  point  of  view,  it's  quite  easy." 

Flora  Schuyler  smiled  satirically.  ''  I  fancy  I  do, 
though  I  may  be  mistaken.  Subtleties  of  this  kind  are, 
as  you  suggest,  beyond  the  average  woman." 

"  You  are  laughing  at  me,  and  it's  quite  likely  I  de- 
serve it.  We  will  talk  of  something  else.  I  was  telling 
you  about  the  cavalry  officer." 

"  No,"  said  Hetty,  "  I  don't  think  you  were." 

*'  Then  I  meant  to.  He  has  just  come  up  from  the 
Apache  country — a  kind  of  quiet  man,  with  a  good  deal 
in  him  and  a  way  of  making  you  listen  when  you  once 
Start  him  talking.    We  half  expect  him  here  this  even- 

252 


THE  CAVALRY  OFFICER 

ing,  and  if  he  comes,  I  want  you  to  be  nice  to  him.    You 
could  make  him  beHeve  we  are  in  the  right  quite  easily." 

"  From  the  Apache  country  ? "  and  Flora  Schuyler 
glanced  at  Hetty. 

Allonby  nodded.  "  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  or  some- 
where there.  Now,  just  when  you  were  beginning  to 
listen,  there's  Mr.  Torrance  wanting  me.'^ 

He  rose  with  evident  reluctance,  and  Miss  Schuyler 
sat  reflectively  silent  when  he  moved  away. 

"  What  are  you  thinking  of  ?  "  asked  Hetty  sharply. 

"  That  the  United  States  is  not  after  all  such  a  very 
big  country.  One  is  apt  to  run  across  a  friend  every- 
where." 

Hetty  did  not  answer,  but  Miss  Schuyler  knew  that 
she  was  also  wondering  about  the  cavalry  officer,  when 
half  an  hour  later  it  became  evident,  from  the  sounds 
outside,  that  a  sleigh  had  reached  the  door,  and  when 
a  little  further  time  had  passed  Allonby  ushered  a  man 
in  blue  uniform  into  the  room.  Hetty  set  her  lips  when 
she  saw  him. 

"  Oh !  "  said  Miss  Schuyler.  "  I  felt  quite  sure  of  it. 
This  is  the  kind  of  thing  that  not  infrequently  happens, 
and  it  is  only  the  natural  sequence  that  he  should  turn 
up  on  the  opposite  side  to  Larry." 

"  Flo,"  said  Hetty  sharply,  "  what  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Well,"  she  said  lazily,  "  I  fancy  that  you  should 
know  better  than  I  do.  I  have  only  my  suspicions  and 
some  little  knowledge  of  human  nature  to  guide  me. 
Now,  of  course,  you  convinced  us  that  you  didn't  care 
for  Cheyne,  but  we  have  only  your  word  to  go  upon 
in  regard  to  Larry." 

Hetty  turned  upon  her  with  a  flash  in  her  eyes. 
"  Don't  try  to  make  me  angry,  Flo.  It's  going  to  be 
difficult  to  meet  him  as  it  is." 

253 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  I  don't  think  you  need  worry/'  and  Flora  Schuyler 
laughed.  "  He  is  probably  cured  by  this  time,  and  has 
found  somebody  else.  They  usually  do.  That  ought 
to  please  you." 

In  the  meantime,  Allonby  and  the  man  he  was  pre- 
senting to  his  friends  were  drawing  nearer.  Hetty  rose 
when  the  pair  stopped  in  front  of  them. 

*'  Captain  Jackson  Cheyne,  who  is  coming  to  help  us. 
Miss  Torrance  and  Miss  Schuyler,  the  daughter  and 
guest  of  our  leader,"  said  Allonby,  and  the  soldierly 
man  with  the  quiet,  brown  face,  smiling,  held  out  his 
hand. 

^^  We  are  friends  already,"  he  said,  and  passed  on  with 
Allonby. 

"  Was  it  very  dreadful,  Hetty?  "  said  Flora  Schuyler. 
"  I  could  see  he  means  to  come  back  and  talk  to  you." 

Hetty  also  fancied  Cheyne  wished  to  do  so,  and  spent 
the  next  hour  or  two  in  avoiding  the  encounter.  With 
this  purpose  she  contrived  to  draw  Chris  Allonby  into 
one  of  the  smaller  rooms  where  the  card-tables  were 
then  untenanted,  and  listened  with  becoming  patience 
to  stories  she  had  often  heard  before.  She,  however, 
found  it  a  little  difficult  to  laugh  at  the  right  places,  and 
at  last  the  lad  glanced  reproachfully  at  her. 

**  It  spoils  everything  when  one  has  to  show  you  where 
the  point  is,"  he  said ;  and  Hetty,  looking  up,  saw  Cheyne 
and  Flora  Schuyler  in  the  doorway. 

"  Miss  Newcombe  is  looking  for  you,  Mr.  Allonby," 
said  the  latter. 

There  was  very  little  approval  in  the  glance  Hetty 
bestowed  upon  Miss  Schuyler  and  Allonby  seemed  to 
understand  it. 

'*  She  generally  is,  and  that  is  why  I'm  here,"  he  said. 
"  I  don't  feel  like  hearing  about  any  more  lepidoptera 

254 


THE  CAVALRY  OFFICER 

to-night,  and  you  can  take  her  Captain  Cheyne  instead. 
He  must  have  found  out  quite  a  lot  about  beetles  and 
other  things  that  bite  you  down  in  Arizona." 

Miss  Schuyler,  disregarding  Hetty,  laughed.  "  You 
had  better  go,"  she  said.  "  I  see  her  coming  in  this 
direction  now,  and  she  has  something  which  apparently 
contains  specimens  in  her  hand." 

Allonby  fled,  but  he  turned  a  moment  in  the  doorway. 
"  Do  you  think  you  could  get  me  a  real  lively  tarantula. 
Captain  Cheyne  ?  "  he  said.  **  If  a  young  lady  with  a 
preoccupied  manner  asks  you  anything  about  insects, 
tell  her  you  have  one  in  your  pocket.  It's  the  only  thing 
that  will  save  you." 

He  vanished  with  Miss  Schuyler,  and  Hetty,  some- 
what against  her  wishes,  found  herself  alone  with 
Cheyne.  He  was  deeply  sunburned,  and  his  face  thinner 
than  it  had  been,  but  the  quiet  smile  she  had  once  found 
pleasure  in  was  still  in  his  eyes. 

**  Your  young  friend  did  his  best,  and  I  am  half  afraid 
he  had  a  hint,^'  he  said. 

Hetty  blushed.  "  I  am  very  pleased  to  see  you,"  she 
said  hastily.    "  How  did  you  like  New  Mexico?  " 

"  As  well  as  I  expected,"  Cheyne  answered  with  a  dry; 
smile.  "  It  is  not  exactly  an  enchanting  place — de- 
formed mountains,  sun  glare,  adobe  houses,  loneliness, 
and  dust  My  chief  trouble,  however,  was  that  I  had 
too  much  time  to  think." 

"  But  you  must  have  seen  somebody  and  had  some- 
thing to  do." 

"  Yes,"  Cheyne  admitted.  "  There  was  a  mining 
fellow  who  used  to  come  over  and  clean  out  my  whiskey, 
and  sing  gruesome  songs  for  hours  together  to  a  banjo 
that  had,  I  think,  two  strings.  I  stayed  out  all  night 
quite  frequently  when  I  had  reason  to  believe  that  he 

255 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

was  coming.  Then,  we  killed  a  good  many  tarantulas 
— and  a  few  equally  venomous  pests — ^but  when  all  was 
done  it  left  one  hours  to  sit  staring  at  the  sage-brush 
and  wonder  whether  one  would  ever  shake  off  the 
dreariness  of  it  again." 

"  It  must  have  been  horribly  lonely,"  Hetty  said. 

"  Well,"  said  Cheyne,  very  slowly,  *'  there  was  just 
one  faint  hope  that  now  and  then  brightened  everything 
for  me.  I  thought  you  might  change.  Perhaps  I  was 
foolish — ^but  that  hope  would  have  meant  so  much  to 
me.    I  could  not  let  it  go." 

Hetty  turned  and  looked  at  him  with  a  softness  in 
her  eyes,  for  the  little  tremor  in  his  voice  had  touched 
her. 

"  And  I  was  hoping  you  had  forgotten,"  she  said. 

"  No,"  said  Cheyne  quietly.  "  I  don't  think  I  ever 
shall.    You  haven't  a  grain  of  comfort  to  offer  me?  " 

Hetty  shook  her  head,  and  involuntarily  one  hand 
went  up  and  rested  a  moment  on  something  that  lay 
beneath  the  laces  at  her  neck.  "  No,"  she  said.  *'  I 
am  ever  so  sorry,  Jake,  but  I  have  nothing  whatever  to 
offer  you — now." 

"  Then,"  said  Cheyne,  with  a  little  gesture  of  resig- 
nation, "  I  suppose  it  can  be  borne  because  it  must  be 
— and  I  think  I  understand.  I  know  he  must  be  a  good 
man — or  you  would  never  have  cared  for  him." 

Hetty  looked  at  him  steadily,  but  the  colour  that  had 
crept  into  her  cheek  spread  to  her  forehead.  "  Jake," 
she  said,  "  no  doubt  there  are  more,  but  I  have  met  two 
Americans  who  are,  I  think,  without  reproach.  I  shall 
always  be  glad  I  knew  them— and  it  is  not  your  fault 
that  you  are  not  the  right  one." 

Cheyne  made  her  a  little  grave  inclination.  "  Then, 
I  hope  we  shall  be  good  friends  when  I  meet  the  other 

256 


THE  CAVALRY  OFFICER 

one.  I  am  going  to  stay  some  little  time  in  the  cattle 
country." 

"  I  almost  hope  you  will  not  meet  just  yet,"  Hetty 
said  anxiously,  *^  and  you  must  never  mention  what  I 
have  told  you  to  anybody." 

*'  You  have  only  told  me  that  I  was  one  of  two  good 
Americans,"  said  Cheyne,  with  a  quiet  smile  which  the 
girl  found  reassuring.  "  Now,  you  don't  want  to  send 
me  away? " 

"  No,"  said  Hetty.  "  It  is  so  long  since  I  have  seen 
you.    You  have  come  to  help  us  against  our  enemies?  " 

Cheyne  saw  the  girl's  intention,  and  was  glad  to  fall 
in  with  it,  but  he  betrayed  a  little  embarrassment.  "  Not 
exactly,  though  I  should  be  content  if  my  duty  amounts 
to  the  same  thing,"  he  said.  "  We  have  been  sent  in 
to  help  to  restore  order,  and  it  is  my  business  just  now 
to  inquire  into  the  doings  of  a  certain  Larry  Grant.  I 
wonder  if  you  could  tell  me  anything  about  him  ?  " 

He  noticed  the  sudden  intentness  of  Hetty's  face, 
though  it  was  gone  in  an  instant. 

"  What  have  you  found  out  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Very  little  that  one  could  rely  upon.  Everybody  I 
ask  tells  me  something  different,  he  seems  a  compound 
of  the  qualities  of  Coleman  the  Vigilante,  our  first  Presi- 
dent, and  the  notorious  James  boys.  As  they  were 
gentlemen  of  quite  different  character,  it  seems  to  me 
that  some  of  my  informants  are  either  prejudiced  or 
mistaken." 

"  Yes,"  said  Hetty.  "  He  is  like  none  of  them.  Larry 
is  just  a  plain  American  who  is  fearlessly  trying  to  do 
what  he  feels  is  right,  though  it  is  costing  him  a  good 
deal.  You  see,  I  met  him  quite  often  before  the  trouble 
began." 

Cheyne  glanced  at  her  sharply,  but  Hetty  met  his 

257 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

gaze.     "  I  don't  know/'  he  answered,  "  that  one  could 
say  much  more  of  any  man." 

Just  then  Flora  Schuyler  and  Miss  Allonby  came  in. 
"  Hetty,"  said  the  latter,  "  everybody  is  waiting  for  you 
to  sing." 

In  the  meanwhile,  Allonby  and  his  nephew  sat  with 
Torrance  and  Clavering,  and  one  or  two  of  the  older 
men,  in  his  office  room.  Clavering  had  just  finished 
speaking  when  Allonby  answered  Torrance's  question- 
ing glance. 

'*  I  have  no  use  for  beating  round  the  bush,"  he  said. 
"  Dollars  are  getting  scarce  with  me,  and,  like  some  oi 
my  neighbours,  I  had  to  sell  out  a  draft  of  stock.  The 
fact  that  I'm  throwing  them  on  the  market  now  is  sig- 
nificant." 

One  of  the  men  nodded.  "  Allonby  has  put  it 
straight,"  he  said.  "  I  was  over  fixing  things  with  the 
station  agent,  and  he  is  going  to  send  the  first  drafts 
through  to  Omaha  in  one  lot  if  two  of  his  biggest  loco- 
motives can  haul  the  cars.  Still,  if  Clavering  has  got 
hold  of  the  right  story,  how  the  devil  did  the  homestead- 
boys  hear  of  it  ?  " 

Clavering  glanced  at  Torrance  with  a  little  sardonic 
smile  on  his  lips.  "  I  don't  quite  know^  but  a  good  many 
of  our  secrets  have  been  leaking  out." 

"  You're  quite  sure  you  are  right,  Clavering?  "  some- 
body asked. 

**  Yes.  The  information  is  worth  the  fifty  dollars  I 
paid  for  it.  The  homestead-boys  mean  to  run  that  stock 
train  through  the  Bitter  Creek  bridge.  As  you  know, 
it's  a  good  big  trestle,  and  it  is  scarcely  likely  we  would 
get  a  head  of  stock  out  of  the  wreck  alive." 

There  were  angry  ejaculations  and  the  faces  round 
the  table  grew  set  and  stern.     Some  of  the  men  had 

258 


THE  CAVALRY  OFFICER 

seen  what  happens  when  a  heavy  train  goes  through  a 
railroad  trestle. 

*'  It's  deviHsh ! ''  said  AUonby.  "  Larry  is  in  the 
thing?" 

"  Well,"  said  Clavering  drily,  "  it  appears  the  boys 
can't  do  anything  unless  they  have  an  order  from  their 
executive,  and  the  man  who  told  me  declared  he  had 
;  seen  one  signed  by  him.  Still,  one  has  to  be  fair  to 
Larry,  and  it  is  quite  likely  some  of  the  foreign  Reds 
drove  him  into  it.  Any  way,  if  we  could  get  that  paper 
— and  I  think  I  can — it  would  fix  the  affair  on  him." 

Torrance  nodded.  "  Now  we  have  the  cavalry  here, 
it  would  be  enough  to  have  him  shot,"  he  said.  "  Well, 
this  is  going  to  suit  us.  But  there  must  be  no  fooling. 
We  want  to  lay  hands  upon  them  when  they  are  at  work 
on  the  trestle." 

The  other  men  seemed  doubtful,  and  Allonby  made 
a  protest.  ''  It  is  by  no  means  plain  how  it's  going  to 
suit  me  to  have  my  steers  run  through  the  bridge,"  he 
said.     "  I  can't  afford  it." 

Clavering  laughed.  "  You  will  not  lose  one  of  them," 
he  said.  *'  Now,  don't  ask  any  questions,  but  listen 
to  me." 

There  were  objections  to  the  scheme  he  suggested, 
but  he  won  over  the  men  who  raised  them,  and  when 
all  had  been  arranged  and  Allonby  had  gone  back  to 
his  other  guests,  Clavering  appeared  satisfied  and  Tor- 
rance very  grim.  Unfortunately,  however,  they  had 
not  bound  Christopher  Allonby  to  silence,  and  when  he 
contrived  to  find  a  place  near  Miss  Schuyler  and  Hetty 
he  could  not  refrain  from  mentioning  what  he  had  heard. 
This  was,  however,  the  less  astonishing  since  the  cattle- 
barons'  *wives  and  daughters  shared  their  anxieties  and 
were  conversant  with  most  of  what  happened. 

259 


THE  GATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  You  have  a  kind  of  belief  in  the  homestead-boys, 
Hetty?  "he  said. 

"  Yes,  but  everybody  knows  who  I  belong  to/' 

"  Of  course !  Well,  I  guess  you  are  not  going  to 
have  any  kind  of  belief  in  them  now.  They're  planning 
to  run  our  big  stock  train  through  the  Bitter  Creek 
bridge." 

Hetty  turned  white.  "  They  would  never  do  that. 
Their  leaders  would  not  let  them." 

"  No?  "  said  Allonby.  "  Fm  sorry  to  mention  it,  but 
it  seems  they  have  Larry's  order." 

A  little  flush  crept  into  Flora  Schuyler's  face,  but 
Hetty's  grew  still  more  colourless  and  her  dark  eyes 
glowed.  Then  she  shook  her  shoulders,  and  said  with 
a  scornful  quietness,  "  Larry  would  not  have  a  hand 
in  it  to  save  his  life.  There  is  not  a  semblance  of  truth 
in  that  story,  Chris." 

Allonby  glanced  up  in  astonishment,  but  he  was 
youthful,  and  that  Hetty  could  have  more  than  a  casual 
interest  in  her  old  companion  appeared  improbable  to 
him. 

"  It  is  quite  a  long  time  since  you  and  Larry  were 
on  good  terms,  and  no  doubt  he  has  changed,"  he  said. 
"  Any  way,  his  friends  are  going  to  try  giant  powder 
on  the  bridge,  and  if  we  are  fortunate  Cheyne  will  get 
the  whole  of  them,  and  Larry,  too.  Now,  we'll  change 
the  topic,  since  it  does  not  seem  to  please  you." 

He  changed  it  several  times,  but  his  companions, 
though  they  sat  and  even  smiled  now  and  then,  heard 
very  few  of  his  remarks. 

"  Fm  going,"  he  said  at  last,  reproachfully.  "  I  am 
sorry  if  I  have  bored  you,  but  it  is  really  quite  difficult 
to  talk  to  people  who  are  thinking  about  another  thing. 

260 


THE  CAVALRY  OFFICER 

It  seems  to  me  you  are  both  in  love  with  somebody,  and 
it  very  clearly  isn't  me." 

He  moved  away,  and  for  a  moment  Hetty  and  Miss 
Schuyler  did  not  look  at  one  another.  Then  Hetty 
stood  up. 

"  I  should  have  screamed  if  he  had  stayed  any, 
longer,"  she  said.  "  The  thing  is  just  too  horrible — 
but  it  is  quite  certain  Larry  does  not  know.  I  have  got 
to  tell  him  somehow.     Think,  Flo." 


261 


XXIII 
Hetty's  avowal 

The  dusk  Hetty  had  anxiously  waited  for  was  creep- 
ing across  the  prairie  when  she  and  Miss  Schuyler 
pulled  up  their  horses  in  the  gloom  of  the  birches  where 
the  trail  wound  down  through  the  Cedar  bluff.  The 
weather  had  grown  milder  and  great  clouds  rolled  across 
the  strip  of  sky  between  the  branches  overhead,  while 
the  narrow  track  amidst  the  whitened  trunks  was  cov- 
ered with  loose  snow.  There  was  no  frost,  and  Miss 
Schuyler  felt  unpleasantly  clammy  as  she  patted  her 
horse,  which  moved  restively  now  and  then,  and  shook 
off  the  melting  snow  that  dripped  upon  her;  but  Hetty 
seemed  to  notice  nothing.  She  sat  motionless  in  her 
saddle  with  the  moisture  glistening  on  her  furs,  and  the 
thin  white  steam  from  the  spume-flecked  beast  floating 
about  her,  staring  up  the  trail,  and  when  she  turned 
and  glanced  over  her  shoulder  her  face  showed  white 
and  drawn. 

"  He  must  be  coming  soon/'  she  said,  and  Miss  Schuy- 
ler noticed  the  strained  evenness  of  her  voice.  "  Yes, 
of  course  he's  coming.  It  ^vould  be  too  horrible  if  we 
could  not  find  him." 

"  Jake  Cheyne  and  his  cavalry  boys  would  save  the 
bridge,"  said  Flora  Schuyler,  with  a  hopefulness  she  did 
not  feel. 

Hetty  leaned  forward  and  held  up  her  hand,  as  though 

262 


HETTY'S  AVOWAL 

to  demand  silence  that  she  might  Hsten,  before  she 
answered  her. 

"  There  are  some  desperate  men  among  the  home- 
stead-boys, and  if  they  found  out  they  had  been  given 
away  they  would  cut  the  track  in  another  place,"  she 
said.  "  If  they  didn't  and  Cheyne  surprised  them,  they 
would  fire  on  his  troopers  and  Larry  would  be  blamed 
for  it.  He  would  be  chased  everywhere  with  a  price 
on  his  head,  and  anyone  he  wouldn't  surrender  to  could 
shoot  him.    Flo,  it  is  too  hard  to  bear,  and  Fm  afraid.'' 

Her  voice  failed  her,  and  Miss  Schuyler,  who  could 
find  no  words  to  reassure  her,  was  thankful  that  her  at- 
tention was  demanded  by  her  restive  horse.  The  strain 
was  telling  on  her,  too,  and,  with  less  at  stake  than 
her  companion,  she  was  consumed  by  a  longing  to  defeat 
the  schemes  of  the  cattle-men,  who  had,  it  seemed  to  her 
with  detestable  cunning,  decided  not  to  warn  the  sta- 
tion agent,  and  let  the  great  train  go,  that  they  might 
heap  the  more  obloquy  upon  their  enemies.  The  risk 
the  engineer  and  brakesmen  ran  was  apparently  nothing 
to  them,  and  she  felt,  as  Hetty  did,  that  Larry  was  the 
one  man  who  could  be  depended  on  to  avert  bloodshed. 
Yet  there  was  still  no  sign  of  him. 

**  If  he  would  only  come !  "  she  said. 

There  was  no  answer.  Loose  snow  fell  with  a  soft 
thud  from  the  birch  branches,  and  there  was  a  little 
sighing  amidst  the  trees.  It  was  rapidly  growing  darker, 
but  Hetty  sat  rigidly  still  in  her  saddle,  with  her  hand 
clenched  on  the  bridle.  Five  long  minutes  passed. 
Then,  she  turned  suddenly,  exultation  in  her  voice. 

"  Flo,"  she  said,  "  he's  coming!  " 

Miss  Schuyler  could  hear  nothing  for  another  minute 
or  two,  and  then,  when  a  faint  sound  became  audible 
through  the  whispering  of  the  trees,  she  wondered  how 

263 


THE   CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

her  companion  could  be  sure  it  was  the  fall  of  hoofs, 
or  that  the  horse  was  not  ridden  by  a  stranger.  But 
there  was  no  doubt  in  Hetty's  face,  and  Flora  Schuy- 
ler sighed  as  she  saw  it  relax  and  a  softness  creep  into 
the  dark  eyes.  She  had  seen  that  look  in  the  faces  of 
other  women  and  knew  its  meaning.  , 

The  beat  of  hoofs  became  unmistakable,  and  she  could 
doubt  no  longer  that  a  man  was  riding  down  the  trail. 
He  came  into  sight  in  another  minute,  a  shadowy  figure 
swinging  to  the  stride  of  a  big  horse,  with  the  line  of 
a  rifle-barrel  across  his  saddle,  and  then,  as  he  saw  them, 
rode  up  at  a  gallop,  scattering  the  snow. 

^' Hetty!"  he  said,  a  swift  flush  of  pleasure  sweep- 
ing his  face,  and  Miss  Schuyler  set  her  lips  as  she  noticed 
that  he  did  not  even  see  her. 

Hetty  gathered  up  her  bridle,  and  wheeled  her  horse. 
"  Ride  into  the  blufif — quick,"  she  said.  "  Somebody 
might  see  us  in  the  trail." 

Larry  did  as  he  was  bidden,  and  when  the  gloom  of 
the  trees  closed  about  them,  sprang  down  and  looped 
his  bridle  round  a  branch.  Then,  he  stood  by  Hetty's 
stirrup,  and  the  girl  could  see  his  face,  white  in  the 
faint  light  the  snow  flung  up.  She  turned  her  own 
away  when  she  had  looked  down  on  it. 

"  I  have  had  an  anxious  day,  but  this  makes  up  for 
everything,"  he  said.  "Now — ^and  it  is  so  long  since 
I  have  seen  you — can't  we,  for  just  a  few  minutes,  for- 
get our  troubles  ?  " 

He  held  out  his  hand,  as  though  to  lift  her  down,  but 
the  girl  turned  her  eyes  on  him  and  what  he  saw  in 
them  checked  him  suddenly. 

"  No,"  she  said,  with  a  tremor  in  her  voice,  "  we  can't 
get  away  from  them.  You  must  not  ask  any  question 
until  you  have  heard  everything! " 

264 


HETTY'S  AVOWAL 

She  spoke  with  a  swift  conciseness  that  omitted  no 
point  and  made  the  story  plain,  for  there  was  a  high 
spirit  in  the  girl,  and  a  tangible  peril  that  could  be  grap- 
pled with  had  a  bracing  effect  on  her.  Grant's  face  grew 
intent  as  he  listened,  and  Hetty,  looking  down,  could 
see  the  firmer  set  of  his  lips,  and  the  glint  in  his  eyes. 
The  weariness  faded  out  of  it,  and  once  more  she  recog- 
nized the  alert,  resourceful,  and  quietly  resolute  Larry 
she  had  known  before  the  troubles  came.  He  turned 
swiftly  and  clasped  her  hand. 

"  I  wonder  if  you  know  how  much  you  have  done 
for  me?" 

Hetty  smiled  and  allowed  her  fingers  to  remain  in 
his  grasp.  *'  Then,  you  have  heard  nothing  of  this  ?  " 
she  said. 

"  No,"  said  the  man.     ''  But  Hetty " 

Again  the  girl  checked  him  with  a  gesture.  "  And 
I  need  not  ask  you  whether  you  would  have  had  a  hand 
in  it?" 

Grant  laughed  a  little  scornful  laugh  that  was  more 
eloquent  than  many  protestations.  ''  No,"  he  said,  "  you 
needn't.    I  think  you  know  me  better  than  that,  Hetty  ?  " 

**  Yes,"  said  the  girl  softly.  "  You  couldn't  have  had 
anything  to  do  with  that  kind  of  meanness.  Larry,  how 
was  it  they  did  not  tell  you?  " 

She  felt  the  grasp  of  the  man's  fingers  slacken  and 
saw  his  arm  fall  to  his  side.  His  face  changed  sud- 
denly, growing  stern  and  set,  until  he  turned  his  head 
away.  When  he  looked  round  again  the  weariness  was 
once  more  plain  in  it,  and  she  almost  fancied  he  had 
checked  a  groan. 

*^You  have  brought  me  back  to  myself,"  he  said, 
"  Only  a  few  seconds  ago  I  could  think  of  nothing  but 

265 


THE   CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

what  you  had  done  for  me.  I  think  I  was  almost  as 
happy  as  a  man  could  be,  and  now " 

Hetty  laid  her  hand  on  his  shoulder.  "  And  now  ? 
Tell  me,  Larry." 

"  No,''  said  the  man.  "  You  have  plenty  of  troubles 
of  your  own.'' 

The  grasp  of  the  little  hand  grew  tighter,  and  when 
Grant  looked  up  he  saw  the  girl  smiling  down  on  him 
half -shyly,  and  yet,  as  it  were,  imperiously. 

"  Tell  me,  dear,"  she  said. 

Larry  felt  his  heart  throb,  and  his  resolution  failed 
him.  He  could  see  the  girl's  eyes,  and  their  compelling 
tenderness. 

''  Well,"  he  said,  huskily,  "  what  I  have  dreaded  has 
come.  The  men  I  have  given  up  everything  for  have 
turned  against  me.  No,  you  must  not  think  I  am  sorry 
for  what  I  have  done,  and  it  was  right  then;  but  they 
have  listened  to  some  of  the  crazy  fools  from  Europe 
and  are  letting  loose  anarchy.  I  and  the  others — the 
sensible  Americans — have  lost  our  hold  on  them,  and 
yet  it  was  we  who  brought  them  in.  We  took  on  too 
big  a  contract — and  I'm  most  horribly  afraid,  Hetty." 

The  light  had  almost  gone,  but  his  face  still  showed 
drawn  and  white  and  Hetty  bent  down  nearer  him. 

"  Put  your  hand  in  mine,  Larry/'  she  said  softly.  "  I 
have  something  to  tell  you." 

The  man  obeyed  her,  wondering,  while  a  thrill  ran 
through  him  as  the  mittened  fingers  closed  upon  his  own. 

*'  Hetty,"  he  said,  "  I  have  only  brought  trouble  on 
everyone.     I'm  not  fit  to  speak  to  you." 

**  No,"  said  the  girl,  with  a  throb  in  her  voice.  "  You 
have  only  done  what  very  few  other  men  would  have 
dared  to  do,  and  many  a  better  girl  than  I  am  would 
be  proud  to  be  fond  of  you.     Now  listen,  Larry.     For 

266 


HETTY'S  AVOWAL 

years  you  were  ever  so  good  to  me,  and  I  was  too  mean 
and  shallow  and  selfish  even  to  understand  what  you 
were  giving  me.  I  fancied  I  had  a  right  to  everything 
you  could  do.     But  come  nearer,  Larry." 

She  drew  him  closer  to  her,  until  his  garments  pressed 
the  horse's  flank  and  the  blanket  skirt  she  wore,  and 
leaned  down  still  further  with  her  hand  upon  his 
shoulder. 

"  I  found  out,  dear,  and  now  I  want  you  to  forgive 
me  and  always  love  me." 

The  grasp  on  her  hand  became  compelling,  and  she 
moved  her  foot  from  the  stirrup  as  the  man's  arm 
reached  upwards  towards  her  waist.  Had  she  wished 
she  could  not  have  helped  herself;  as  she  slipped  from 
the  saddle  the  arm  closed  round  her  and  it  was  several 
seconds  before  she  and  Grant  stood  a  pace  apart,  with 
tingling  blood,  looking  at  one  another.  There  was  no 
sign  of  Flora  Schuyler,  they  were  alone,  enfolded  in 
the  silence  of  the  bluff. 

"  It  is  wonderful,"  he  said.  "  I  can't  even  talk,  Hetty. 
I  want  to  realize  it." 

Hetty  laughed  but  there  was  a  note  in  her  voice  that 
set  the  man's  heart  beating  furiously.  **  Yes,  it  is 
wonderful  it  should  come  to  me,"  she  said.  "  No,  you 
needn't  look  round,  Larry.  There  is  nothing  and  no- 
body that  counts  now  except  you  and  me.  I  am  just 
beginning  to  understand  your  patience,  and  how  hard 
I  must  have  been  to  you." 

"  I  waited  a  long  time,"  he  said.  "  It  was  worth 
while.  Even  the  troubles  I  felt  crushing  me  seem  very 
little  now.  If  they  were  only  over,  and  there  was  noth- 
ing to  come  between  you  and  me ! " 

"  Larry,"  the  girl  said  very  softly,  "  are  you  sure  they 
need  do  that  ?    It  has  been  so  horrible  lately,  and  I  can't 

267 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

even  sleep  at  night  for  thinking  of  the  risks  that  you 
are  taking." 

Grant  closed  one  hand^  but  it  was  too  dark  now  for 
Hetty  to  see  his  face,  and  she  was  glad  of  it. 

**  You  mean — ''  he  said  hoarsely,  and  stopped. 

"  Just  this,"  her  voice  almost  a  whisper.  "  I  am 
frightened  of  it  all,  and  when  you  want  me  I  will  c-  me 
to  you.  No,  wait  just  a  little.  I  could  never  marry 
the  man  who  was  fighting  against  my  father  and  the 
people  I  belong  to,  while,  now  I  know  what  you  are, 
I  could  never  ask  him  to  go  back  on  what  he  felt  was 
right;  but,  Larry,  the  men  you  did  so  much  for  have 
turned  against  you,  and  the  things  they  are  doing  are 
not  right,  and  would  never  please  you.  Can't  we  go 
away  and  leave  the  trouble  behind  us?  Nobody  seems 
to  want  us  now." 

There  was  a  cold  dew  on  the  man's  forehead  the  girl 
could  not  see.     "  And  your  father?  "  he  said. 

**  I  would  never  help  anyone  against  him,  as  I  told 
you,"  said  the  girl.  "  Still,  there  are  times  when  his 
bitterness  almost  frightens  me.  It  is  hard  to  admit  it, 
even  to  you,  but  I  can't  convince  myself  that  he  and  the 
others  are  not  mistaken,  too.  I  can't  believe  any  longer 
that  you  are  wrong,  dear.  Besides,  though  he  says  very 
little,  I  feel  he  wants  me  to  marry  Clavering." 

"Clavering?"  said  Larry. 

"  Yes,"  said  Hetty,  with  a  shiver.  "  I  dislike  him 
bitterly — and  I  should  be  safe  with  you." 

Grant  held  out  his  hands.  "  Then,  you  must  come, 
my  dear.  One  way  or  other  the  struggle  will  soon  be 
over  now,  and  if  I  have  to  go  out  an  outcast  I  can  still 
shelter  you." 

The  girl  drew  back  a  pace.  "  I  can't  turn  against  my 
own   people — but   yours   have   turned   on   you.      That 

268 


THERE  WAS    A    NOTE    IN    HER    VOICE    THAT    SET    THE 
MAN'S  HEART  BEATING  FURIOUSLY.— P^^^  267, 


HETTY'S  AVOWAL 

makes  it  easier.    If  you  will  take  me,  dear,  we  will  go 
away." 

Grant  turned  from  her,  and  ground  his  heel  into  the 
snow.  He  had  already  given  up  almost  everything  that 
made  life  bright  to  him,  but  he  had  never  felt  the  bit- 
terness he  did  at  that  moment,  when  he  realized  that 
another  and  heavier  sacrifice  was  demanded  of  him. 

'*  Hetty,"  he  said  slowly,  **  can't  you  understand?  I 
and  the  others  brought  the  homesteaders  in;  this  land  has 
fed  me  and  given  me  all  I  have,  and  now  I  can't  go 
back  on  it  and  them.  I  would  not  be  fit  to  marry  you 
if  I  went  away." 

The  words  were  very  simple,  but  the  man's  voice 
betrayed  what  he  felt.  Hetty  understood,  and  the  pride 
she  had  no  lack  of  came  to  the  rescue. 

"  Yes,"  she  said  with  a  little  sob,  "  Larry  you  are 
right.    You  will  forgive  me,  dear,  for  once  more  tempt- 
ing you.     Perhaps  it  will  all  come  right  by  and  by.    And ) 
now  I  must  go." 

There  was  a  crackle  of  brittle  twigs,  and  Grant  dimly 
saw  Miss  Schuyler  riding  towards  them.  Reaching  out,. 
he  took  Hetty's  hands  and  drew  her  closer. 

"  There  is  just  one  thing  you  must  promise  me,  my 
dear,"  he  said.  "  If  your  father  insists  on  your  listen- 
ing to  Clavering,  you  will  let  me  know.  Then  I  will 
come  to  Cedar  for  you,  and  there  are  still  a  few  Ameri- 
cans who  have  not  lost  confidence  in  their  leader  and 
will  come  with  me.  Nothing  must  make  you  say  yes 
to  him." 

''  No,"  said  Hetty  simply.  "  If  I  cannot  avoid  it  any 
other  way,  I  will  send  for  you.  I  can't  wait  any  longer 
— and  here  is  Flo." 

Larry  stooped;  but  before  she  laid  her  foot  in  the 

269 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

hand  he  held  out  for  her  to  mount  by,  Hetty  bent  her 
head  swiftly,  and  kissed  him. 

**  Now,''  she  said  softly,  "  do  you  think  I  could  listen 
to  Clavering?  You  will  do  what  you  have  to,  and  I 
wall  wait  for  you.  It  is  hard  on  us  both,  dear;  but  I 
can't  help  recognizing  my  duty,  too." 

Larry  lifted  her  to  the  saddle,  and  she  vanished  into 
the  gloom  of  the  birches  before  he  could  speak  to  Miss 
Schuyler,  who  wheeled  her  horse  and  followed  her. 
A  few  minutes  more  and  he  was  riding  towards  Fremont 
as  fast  as  his  horse  could  flounder  through  the  slushy 
snow,  his  face  grown  set  and  resolute  again,  for  he  knew 
he  had  difficult  work  to  do. 

"  I  don't  quite  know  what  has  come  over  you,  Larry," 
Breckenridge  said  an  hour  or  two  later  with  a  puzzled 
look  at  Grant  as  he  lifted  his  eyes  from  the  writing  pad 
on  his  knee.  "  I  haven't  seen  you  so  obviously  contented 
for  months,  and  yet  the  work  before  us  may  be  grim 
enough.  The  most  unpleasant  point  about  it  is  that 
Clavering  must  have  got  hold  of  one  of  your  warrant 
forms.  It  was  a  mistake  to  trust  anybody  with  one 
not  filled  in." 

"  Well,  I  feel  that  way  too,"  Grant  confessed,  "  and 
at  the  same  time  I'm  desperately  anxious.  We  are  go- 
ing to  have  trouble  with  the  boys  right  along  the  line, 
and  there  is  no  man  living  can  tell  what  will  happen  if 
any  of  them  go  down  in  an  affair  with  the  cavalry.'* 

''  It  wouldn't  be  difficult  to  guess  what  the  conse- 
quences would  be  if  they  cut  the  track  just  before  the 
stock  train  came  through.  You  are  quite  sure  they  have 
not  changed  their  minds  again?" 

"Yes,"  said  Larry  quietly.  "I  bluffed  it  out  of 
Harper.  He  would  have  taken  a  hand  in,  and  only 
kicked  when  it  came  to  taking  lives.    More  of  the  others 

270 


HETTY'S  AVOWAL 

cleared  out  over  that  point,  too,  and  as  the  rest  were 
half -afraid  of  some  of  those  who  objected  giving  them 
away,  they  changed  their  plans ;  but  it  seems  quite  cer- 
tain they  mean  to  pull  the  rails  up  at  the  bend  on  the 
down  grade  by  the  bunch  grass  hollow.  It  is  fortunate, 
any  way.  Cheyne  and  his  cavalry  will  be  watching  the 
bridge,  you  see ;  but  you  had  better  get  ready.  Fll  have 
the  last  instructions  done  directly,  and  it  will  be  morn- 
ing before  you  are  through." 

Breckenridge  poured  himself  out  a  big  cup  of  coffee 
from  the  jug  on  the  stove,  put  on  a  black  leather  jacket, 
and  went  out  to  the  stable.  When  he  came  back.  Grant 
handed  him  a  bundle  of  notes. 

"  You  will  see  every  man  gets  one  and  tell  him  all 
he  wants  to  know.  I  dare  not  put  down  too  much  in 
black  and  white.  They  are  to  be  round  at  the  rise 
behind  the  depot  at  six  Thursday  night.'' 

"  You  believe  they  will  come  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  Grant  said  firmly.  **  They  are  good  men,  and 
Fm  thankful  there  are  still  so  many  of  them,  because 
just  now  they  are  all  that  is  standing  between  this  coun- 
try and  anarchy," 

Breckenridge  smiled  a  little,  but  his  voice  was  sym- 
pathetic. "  Well,"  he  said,  "  I  am  glad,  on  my  own 
account,  too.  It's  nicer  to  have  the  chances  with  you 
when  you  have  to  reckon  with  men  of  the  kind  we  are 
going  to  meet,  but  I  shall  not  be  sorry  when  this  trouble's 
through.  It  is  my  first  attempt  at  reforming  and  a  little 
of  it  goes  a  long  way  with  me.  I  don't  know  that  there 
is  a  more  thankless  task  than  trying  to  make  folks  better 
off  than  they  want,  or  deserve,  to  be." 

He  went  out  with  a  packet  of  messages,  and  Grant 
sat  still,  with  care  in  his  face,  staring  straight  in  front 
of  him. 

271 


XXIV 

THE   STOCK    TRAIN 

It  was  almost  unpleasantly  hot  in  the  little  iron-roofed 
room  at  the  railroad  depot,  and  the  agent,  who  flung 
the  door  open,  stood  still  a  minute  or  two  blinking  into 
the  darkness.  A  big  lamp  that  flickered  in  the  wind 
cast  an  uncertain  gleam  upon  the  slushy  whiteness  under 
foot,  and  the  blurred  outline  of  a  towering  water-tank 
showed  dimly  through  the  sliding  snow.  He  could  also 
just  discern  the  great  locomotive  waiting  on  the  side- 
track, and  the  sibilant  hiss  of  steam  that  mingled  with 
the  moaning  of  the  wind  whirling  a  white  haze  out  of 
the  obscurity.  Beyond  the  track,  and  showing  only  now 
and  then,  the  lights  of  the  wooden  town  blinked  fitfully ; 
on  the  other  hand  and  behind  the  depot  was  an  empty 
waste  of  snow-sheeted  prairie.  The  temperature  had 
gone  up  suddenly,  but  the  agent  shivered  as  he  felt  the 
raw  dampness  strike  through  him,  and,  closing  the  door, 
took  off  and  shook  his  jacket  and  sat  down  by  the  stove 
again. 

He  wore  a  white  shirt  of  unusually  choice  linen,  with 
other  garments  of  fashionable  city  cut,  for  a  station 
agent  is  a  person  of  importance  in  the  West,  and  this 
one  was  at  least  as  consequential  as  most  of  the  rest. 
He  had  finished  his  six  o'clock  supper  at  the  wooden 
hotel  a  little  earlier;  and  as  the  next  train  going  west 

272 


THE  STOCK  TRAIN 

would  not  arrive  for  two  or  three  hours,  he  took  out 
a  rank  cigar,  and,  placing  his  feet  upon  a  chair,  pre- 
pared to  doze  the  time  away,  though  he  laid  a  bundle 
of  accounts  upon  his  knee,  in  case  anyone  should  come 
in  unexpectedly.  This,  however,  was  distinctly  improba- 
ble on  such  a  night. 

The  stove  flung  out  a  drowsy  heat,  and  it  was  not 
long  before  his  eyes  grew  heavy.  He  could  still  hear 
the  wailing  of  the  wind  and  the  swish  of  the  snow  that 
whirled  about  the  lonely  building,  and  listened  for  a 
while  with  tranquil  contentment;  for  the  wild  weather 
he  was  not  exposed  to  enhanced  the  comfort  of  the 
warmth  and  brightness  he  enjoyed.  Then,  the  sounds 
grew  less  distinct  and  he  heard  nothing  at  all  until  he 
straightened  himself  suddenly  in  his  chair  as  a  cold 
draught  struck  him.  A  few  flakes  of  snow  also  swept 
into  the  room  and  he  saw  that  the  door  was  open. 

'*  Hallo!"  he  called.  **  Wait  there  a  moment.  I 
guess  this  place  doesn't  belong  to  you." 

A  man  who  looked  big  and  shapeless  in  his  whitened 
furs  signed  to  somebody  outside  without  answering,  and 
four  or  five  other  men  in  fur  caps  and  snow-sprinkled 
coats  came  in.  They  did  not  seem  to  consider  it  neces- 
sary to  wait  for  permission,  and  it  dawned  upon  the 
agent  that  something  unusual  was  about  to  happen. 

"  We  have  a  little  business  to  put  through,"  said  one. 

"  Well,"  said  the  agent  brusquely,  "  I  can't  attend  to 
you  now.  You  can  come  back  later — when  the  train 
comes  in." 

One  of  the  newcomers  smiled  sardonically,  and  the 
agent  recognized  two  of  his  companions.  They  were 
men  of  some  importance  in  that  country,  who  had,  how- 
ever joined  the  homestead  movement  and  were  under 
the  ban  of  the  company's  chief  supporters,  the  cattle- 

273 


THE   CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

barons.  There  was  accordingly  no  inducement  to  waste 
civility  on  them;  but  he  had  an  unpleasant  feeling  that 
unnecessary  impertinence  would  not  be  advisable. 

"  It  has  got  to  be  put  through  now/'  said  the  first  of 
them,  with  a  little  ring  in  his  voice.  "  We  want  a  loco- 
motive and  a  calaboose  to  take  us  to  Boynton,  and  we 
are  quite  willing  to  pay  anything  reasonable.'' 

"  It  can't  be  done.  We  have  only  the  one  loco  here, 
and  she  is  wanted  to  shove  the  west-bound  train  up  the 
long  grade  to  the  hills." 

"  I  guess  that  train  will  have  to  get  through  alone 
to-night,"  said  another  man. 

The  agent  got  up  with  an  impatient  gesture.  "  Now," 
he  said,  "  I  don't  feel  like  arguing  with  you.  You 
can't  have  the  loco." 

"No?"  said  the  homesteader,  with  a  little  laugh. 
"  Well,  I  figure  you're  mistaken.  We  have  taken  charge 
of  her  already  and  only  want  the  bill.  If  you  don't 
believe  me,  call  your  engineer." 

The  agent  strode  to  the  door,  and  there  was  a  mo- 
mentary silence  after  he  called,  "  Pete !  " 

Then,  a  shout  came  out  of  the  sliding  snow :  "  I  can't 
come." 

It  broke  off  with  significant  suddenness,  and  the  agent 
turned  to  the  man  who  had  first  spoken.  **  You  are 
going  to  be  sorry  for  this,  Mr.  Grant,"  he  said  and  then 
tried  to  slip  away,  but  one  of  the  others  pulled  the  door 
to  and  stood  with  his  back  to  it  while  Grant,  smiling, 
said,  "  I'm  quite  willing  to  take  my  chances.  Have  the 
stock-cars  passed  Perry's  siding  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  the  agent. 

"  Then,  hadn't  you  better  call  them  up  and  see  ?  We 
are  giving  you  the  first  chance  of  doing  it  out  of  courtesy, 
but  one  of  us  is  a  good  operator." 

274 


THE  STOCK  TRAIN 

"  I  was  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  road/'  said  one 
man.    "  You  needn't  play  any  tricks  with  me." 

The  agent  sat  down  at  the  telegraph  instrument,  and 
looked  up  when  it  rapped  out  an  answer  to  his  message. 

"  Stock  train  left  Birch  Hollow.    No  sign  of  her  yet.'' 

"  That's  all  right/'  said  the  man  who  had  served  the 
B.  and  O.  "  Tell  them  to  side-track  her  for  half  an 
hour,  anyway,  after  your  loco  comes  through.  It's  nec- 
essary. Don't  worry  'bout  any  questions,  but  tell  them 
to  keep  us  a  clear  road,  now." 

The  agent,  who  saw  that  the  other  man  was  prepared 
to  do  the  work  himself,  complied,  and  the  latter  once 
more  nodded  when  the  instrument  clicked  out  the 
answer. 

**  Make  out  your  bill,"  said  Grant,  taking  a  wallet 
from  his  pocket. 

"  No,"  said  the  agent;  "  we're  going  to  have  the  law 
of  you." 

Grant  laughed.  "  It  strikes  me  there  is  very  little 
law  in  this  country  now,  and  your  company  would  a  good 
deal  sooner  have  the  dollars  than  a  letter  telling  them 
you  had  let  us  take  one  of  their  locomotives  away  from 
you." 

*'  That,"  said  the  agent  reflectively,  "  sounds  quite 
sensible.  Well,  I'll  take  the  dollars.  It  doesn't  commit 
us  to  anything." 

The  bills  were  counted  over,  and  as  the  men  went 
out  Grant  turned  in  the  doorway.  "  It  would  not  be 
advisable  for  you  to  wire  any  of  the  folks  along  the  line 
to  stop  us,"  he  said.  "  We  are  going  through  to  Boyn- 
ton  as  fast  as  your  engineer  can  shove  his  loco  along, 
and  if  anybody  switched  us  into  a  side-track  it  would 

275 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

only  mean  the  smashing  up  of  a  good  deal  of  the  com- 
pany's property/* 

He  had  gone  out  in  another  moment,  and,  in  a  few 
more,  climbed  into  the  locomotive  cab,  while  somebody 
coupled  on  a  calaboose  in  the  rear.  Then,  he  showed 
the  engineer  several  bills  and  the  agent's  receipt  to- 
gether. 

"  If  you  can  hold  your  tongue  and  get  us  through 
to  Boynton  five  minutes  imder  the  mail  schedule  time, 
the  dollars  are  yours,"  he  said. 

The  engineer  looked  doubtful  for  a  moment,  then, 
his  eyes  twinkling,  he  took  the  bills. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  you've  got  the  agent's  receipt,  and 
the  rest  is  not  my  business.  Sit  tight,  and  we'll  show 
you  something  very  like  flying  to-night." 

Another  man  flung  open  the  fimiace  door,  a  sudden 
stream  of  brightness  flashed  out  as  he  hurled  in  coal, 
Ae  door  shut  with  a  clang,  and  there  was  a  whirr  of 
slipping  wheek  as  the  engineer  laid  his  hand  on  the 
lever.  The  great  locomotive  panted,  and  Grant,  star- 
ing out  through  the  glasses,  saw  a  blinking  light  slide 
back  to  them.  Then,  the  plates  beneath  him  trembled, 
the  hammering  wheels  g^t  hold,  and  the  muffled  clang- 
ing and  thudding  swelled  into  a  rhjilimic  din.  The  light 
darted  past  them,  the  filmy  whiteness  which  had  streamed 
down  through  the  big  head-lamp's  glare  now  beat  in  a 
bewildering  rush  against  the  quivering  glass,  and  the 
fan-shaped  blaze  of  radiance  drove  on  faster  through 
the  snow. 

Five  minutes  passed,  and  Grant,  who  held  a  watch  in 
his  hand,  glanced  at  the  eng^eer  as  the  blaze  whirled 
like  a  comet  along  the  clean-cut  edge  of  a  dusky  bluff. 

**  Youll  have  to  do  better,"  he  said. 

"Wait  tin  we  have  got  her  warmed  up,"  said  the 

-76 


THE  STOCK  TRAIN 

roan,  who  stood  quietly  intent,  his  lean  hand  en  the 
throttle.    "  Then  youTl  see  something." 

Grant  sat  down  on  a  tooHodcer,  toc^  out  his  dgar- 
case,  and  passed  it  to  Breckenridge  who  sat  opposite 
him.  Bredcenridge's  face  was  eager  and  there  was  an 
tmusual  brightness  in  his  eyes,  for  he  was  yotmg  and 
something  thrilled  within  him  in  unison  with  the  vibra- 
tion of  the  great  machine.  There  was,  however,  very 
little  to  see  just  then  beyond  the  tense,  motionless  iSgure 
of  the  man  at  the  throttle  and  the  damp-beaded  face  of 
another  forced  up  in  the  lurid  glare  from  the  furnace 
door.  A  dim  whiteness  lashed  the  glasses,  and  when 
Breckenridge  pressed  his  face  to  one  of  them  the  blaze 
of  radiance  against  which  the  smoke-stack  was  ^ojected 
blackly  only  intensified  the  obscurity  Aej  were  speeding 
through. 

Still,  there  was  much  to  feel  and  hear — the  shrill  wail 
of  the  wind  that  buffeted  their  shelter,  the  bewildering 
throb  and  quiver  of  the  locomotive  wfaicfa,  witfi  its  sug- 
gestion of  Titanic  effort,  seemed  to  find  a  re^Kxtse  in 
human  fibre,  poimding  and  clashing  with  their  burden 
of  strain,  and  the  roar  of  the  great  drivers  that  rose  and 
fell  like  a  diapascn.  Perhaps  Breckenridge,  who  ¥ras  also 
under  a  strain  that  night,  was  fanciful,  but  it  seemed 
to  him  there  was  hidden  in  the  medley  of  sound  a  theme 
or  motive  that  voiced  man's  domination  over  the  prime- 
val forces  of  the  universe,  and  urged  him  to  the  endnr* 
ance  of  stress,  and  great  endeavour.  It  W2S,  for  the 
most  part,  vague  and  elusive ;  but  there  were  times  when 
it  rang  exulting^y  du-ough  the  subtly  hannonioiis  din, 
reminding  him  of  Wagnerian  music 

Leaning  forward,  he  touched  Grant's  knee.  "Larry, 
it's  bracing.  The  last  few  months  were  making  me 
a  Uttle  sick  of  everything — but  this  gets  hold  of  one.** 

277 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Grant  smiled,  but  Breckenridge  saw  how  weary  his 
bronzed  face  showed  in  the  dim  lantern  light.  "  There 
was  a  time,  two  or  three  years  ago,  when  I  might  have 
felt  it  as  you  seem  to  do,"  he  said.  "  I  don't  seem 
to  have  any  feeling  but  tiredness  left  me  now.'* 

"  You  can't  let  go,''  said  Breckenridge. 

"  No,"  and  Grant  sighed,  "  not  until  the  State  takes 
hold  instead  of  me,  or  the  trouble's  through." 

Breckenridge  said  nothing  further,  and  Grant  sat 
huddled  in  a  corner  wuth  the  thin  blue  cigar-smoke 
curling  about  him.  He  knew  it  was  possible  he  was 
taking  a  very  heavy  risk  just  then,  since  the  home- 
steaders might  have  changed  their  plans  again;  and 
his  task  was  a  double  one,  for  he  had  not  only  to  save 
the  stock  train,  but  prevent  an  encounter  between  his 
misguided  followers  and  the  cavalry.  So  there  was 
silence  between  them  while,  lurching,  rocking,  roar- 
ing, the  great  locomotive  sped  on  through  the  night, 
until  the  engineer,  turning  half-round,  glanced  at 
Grant. 

"  Is  she  making  good  enough  time  to  suit  you  ? 
Perry's  siding  is  just  ahead,  and  we'll  be  on  the  Bitter 
Creek  trestle  five  minutes  after  that,"  he  said. 

Grant  rose  and  leaned  forward  close  to  the  glasses. 
He  could  see  nothing  but  the  radiance  from  the  head- 
lamp whirling  like  a  meteor  through  the  filmy  haze; 
but  the  fierce  vibration  of  everything,  and  the  fashion 
in  which  the  snow  smote  the  glasses,  as  in  a  solid 
stream,  showed  the  pace  at  which  they  were  travel- 
ling. He  looked  round  and  saw  that  Breckenridge's 
eyes  were  fixed  upon  him.  His  comrade's  voice 
reached  him  faint  and  strained  through  the  hammering 
of  the  wheels. 

"  You  feel  tolerably  sure  Harper  was  right  about  the 
bridge?'* 

278 


I 


THE  STOCK  TRAIN 

Grant  nodded.     ''  I  do." 

"  What  if  he  was  mistaken,  and  they  meant  to  try 
there  after  all?     There  are  eight  of  us." 

**  We  have  got  to  take  the  risk,"  said  Grant  very 
quietly,  "  and  it  is  a  big  responsibility ;  but  if  the  boys 
got  their  work  in  and  fell  foul  of  Cheyne,  we  would 
have  half  the  State  ablaze." 

He  signed  for  silence,  and  Breckenridge  stared  out 
through  the  glasses,  for  he  feared  his  face  would  be- 
tray him,  and  fancied  he  understood  the  burden  that 
was  upon  the  man  who,  because  it  seemed  the  lesser 
evil,  was  risking  eight  men's  lives. 

As  he  watched,  a  blink  of  light  crept  out  of  the 
snow,  grew  brighter,  and  swept  back  to  them.  Others 
appeared  in  a  cluster  behind  it,  a  big  water-tank  flashed 
by,  and  the  roar  of  wheels  and  scream  of  whistle  was 
flung  back  by  a  snow-covered  building.  Then,  as 
Breckenridge  glanced  to  the  opposite  side,  the  blaze 
of  another  head-lamp  dazzled  his  eyes  and  he  had  a 
blurred  vision  of  a  waiting  locomotive  and  a  long  row 
of  snow-smeared  cars.  In  another  second  cars  and 
station  had  vanished  as  suddenly  as  they  had  sprung 
up  out  of  the  night,  and  they  were  once  more  alone 
in  the  sliding  snow.  Breckenridge  drew  a  breath  of 
relief. 

*'  There's  the  stock  train,  any  way.  And  now  for 
the  bridge !  "  he  said. 

"  That  was  the  easiest  half  of  it.  Muller  was  there 
— I  saw  him — and  he  could  have  w^arned  the  agent  at 
the  last  minute,"  Grant  answered. 

Neither  of  them  said  anything  further,  but  Breck- 
enridge felt  his  heart  beat  faster  as  the  snow  whirled 
by.  The  miles  were  slipping  behind  them,  and  he  was 
by  no  means  so  sure  as  Larry  was  that  no  attempt 

279 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

would  be  made  upon  the  bridge.  His  fancy  would  per- 
sist in  picturing  the  awful  leap  into  the  outer  dark- 
ness through  the  gap  in  the  trestle,  and  he  felt  his  lips 
and  forehead  grow  a  trifle  colder  and  his  flesh  shrink 
in  anticipation  of  the  tremendous  shock.  He  looked 
at  Grant;  the  latter's  face  was  very  quiet,  and  had  lost 
its  grimness  and  weariness — there  was  almost  a  sug- 
gestion of  exaltation  in  it. 

"  We  are  almost  on  the  bridge  now,"  he  said. 

The  engineer  nodded,  and  the  next  moment  Breck- 
enridge,  who  had  been  watching  the  light  of  the  head- 
lamp flash  along  the  snow  beside  the  track,  saw  it 
sweep  on,  as  it  were,  through  emptiness.  Then,  he 
heard  a  roar  of  timber  beneath  him,  and  fancied  he 
could  look  down  into  a  black  gulf  through  the  filmy 
snow.  He  knew  it  was  a  single  track  they  were  speed- 
ing over,  and  that  the  platform  of  the  calaboose  be- 
hind them  overhung  the  frozen  river  far  below. 

He  set  his  lips  and  held  his  breath  for  what  seemed 
a  very  long  time,  and  then,  with  a  sigh  of  relief,  sank 
back  into  his  seat  as  he  felt  by  the  lessening  vibration, 
that  there  was  frozen  soil  under  them.  But  in  spite 
of  himself  the  hands  he  would  have  lighted  a  cigar 
with  shook,  and  the  engineer  who  looked  round 
glanced  at  him  curiously. 

^'Feeling  kind  of  sick?"  he  said.  "Well,  it's 
against  the  regulations,  but  there's  something  that 
might  fix  you  as  well  as  tea  in  that  can." 

Breckenridge  smiled  feebly.  "  The  fact  is,  I  have 
never  travelled  on  a  locornotive  before,  and  when  I 
took  on  the  contract  I  didn't  quite  know  all  I  was 
letting  myself  in  for,"  he  said. 

"  How  far  are  we  off  the  long  down  grade  with  the 
curve  in  it?"  asked  Grant. 

280 


THE  STOCK  TRAIN 

"  We  might  get  there  in  'bout  ten  minutes,"  said 
the  engineer. 

"  Slacken  up  before  you  reach  the  grade  and  put 
your  head-lamp  out,"  said  Grant.  **  I  want  you  to 
stop  just  this  side  of  the  curve,  and  wait  for  me  five 
minutes." 

The  engineer  looked  at  him  steadily.  "  Now,  there's 
a  good  deal  I  don't  understand  about  all  this.  What 
do  you  want  me  to  stop  there  for?" 

'*  I  don't  see  why  you  should  worry.  It  does  not 
concern  you.  Any  way,  I  have  hired  this  special,  and 
I  give  you  my  word  that  nothing  I  am  going  to  da 
will  cause  the  least  damage  to  any  of  the  company's 
property.  I  want  you  to  stop,  lend  me  a  lantern,  and 
sit  tight  in  the  cab  until  I  tell  you  to  go  on.  We  will- 
make  it  two  dollars  a  minute." 

The  engineer  nodded.  **  I  don't  know  what  you  are 
after,  but  I  guess  I  can  take  your  word,"  he  said. 
"  You  seem  that  kind  of  a  man." 

Ten  minutes  later  the  fireman  vanished  into  the 
darkness,  and  the  blaze  of  the  head-lamp  went  out 
before  he  returned  and  the  roar  of  the  drivers  sank. 
The  rhythmic  din  grew  slack,  and  became  a  jarring 
of  detached  sounds  again,  the  snow  no  longer  beat 
on  the  glasses  as  it  had  done,  and,  rocking  less,  the 
great  locomotive  rolled  slowly  down  the  incline  until 
it  stopped,  and  Grant,  taking  the  lantern  handed  him, 
sprang  down  from  the  cab.  Four  other  men  were  wait- 
ing on  the  calaboose  platform,  and  when  Grant  hid  the 
lantern  under  his  fur  coat  they  floundered  down  the  side 
of  the  graded  track  which  there  crossed  a  hollow.  A 
raw  wind  whirled  the  white  flakes  about  them  and 
Breckenridge  could  scarcely  see  the  men  behind  him.  He 
was  thankful  when,  slipping,  sliding,  stumbling,  they 
gained  the  level. 

281 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

From  there  he  could  just  distinguish  the  road  bed  as 
something  soHd  through  the  whirHng  haze,  and  he  felt 
they  were  following  a  bend  of  it  when  Grant  stopped 
and  a  clinking  sound  came  out  of  the  obscurity  above 
them.  It  might  have  been  made  by  somebody  knock- 
ing out  key  wedges  or  spikes  with  a  big  hammer  and 
in  his  haste  striking  the  rail  or  chair. 

Then  Grant  said  something  Breckenridge  could  not 
catch,  and  they  were  crawling  up  the  slope,  with  the 
clinking  and  ringing  growing  a  trifle  louder.  Brecken- 
ridge's  heart  beat  faster  than  usual,  but  he  was  toler- 
ably collected  now.  He  had  a  weapon  he  was  not  un- 
skilled with  in  his  pocket,  and  the  chance  of  a  fight 
with  even  desperate  men  was  much  less  disconcerting 
than  that  of  plunging  down  into  a  frozen  river  with  a 
locomotive.  He  had  also  a  reassuring  conviction  that  if 
Larry  could  contrive  it  there  would  be  no  fight  at  all. 

He  crawled  on,  with  the  man  behind  clutching  at  him, 
now  and  then,  and  the  one  in  front  sliding  back  on  him, 
until  his  arms  were  wet  to  the  elbows  and  his  legs  to 
the  knees;  but  the  top  of  the  grade  seemed  strangely 
difficult  to  reach,  and  he  could  see  nothing  with  the 
snow  that  blew  over  it  in  his  eyes.  Suddenly  Larry 
rose  up,  there  was  a  shout  and  a  flounder,  and,  though 
he  did  not  quite  know  how  he  got  there,  Breckenridge 
found  himself  standing  close  behind  his  comrade,  and 
in  the  light  of  the  lantern  held  up  saw  a  man  drop  his 
hammer.  There  were  other  men  close  by,  but  they  were 
apparently  too  astonished  to  think  of  flight. 

*'  It's  Larry !  "  somebody  exclaimed. 

"  Stop  where  you  are,"  said  Grant  sharply  as  one 
man  made  a  move.  "  I  don't  want  to  shoot  any  of  you, 
but  I  most  certainly  will  if  you  make  me.  Are  there 
any  more  of  you?  " 

282 


THE  STOCK  TRAIN 

"  No,"  said  one  of  the  men  disgustedly. 

Grant  walked  forward  swinging  his  lantern  until  his 
eyes  rested  on  one  partly  loosened  rail.  "  And  that  is 
as  far  as  you  have  got?''  he  said.  **  Take  up  your 
hammer  and  drive  the  wood  key  in.  Get  hold  of  their 
rifles,  Charley.    I  guess  they  are  under  that  coat." 

There  was  an  angry  murmur,  and  a  man  started  to 
speak ;  but  Grant  stopped  him. 

"  Hammer  the  wedges  in,"  he  said.  "  It  was  pure 
foolishness  made  me  come  here  to  save  you  from  the 
cavalry  who  had  heard  of  what  you  meant  to  do,  be- 
cause we  have  no  use  for  men  of  your  kind  in  this 
country.  You  haven't  even  sense  enough  to  keep  your 
rifles  handy,  and  there  will  be  two  or  three  less  of  you 
to  worry  decent  folks  if  you  keep  us  waiting." 

A  man  took  up  the  hammer,  and  then  waited  a  mo- 
ment, looking  at  those  who  stood  about  Larry.  He 
could  see  the  faces  of  one  or  two  in  the  lantern  light, 
and  recognized  that  he  need  expect  no  support  from 
them.  The  men  were  resolute  Americans,  who  had 
no  desire  for  anything  approaching  anarchy. 

"  We  are  with  Larry,  and  don't  feel  like  fooling. 
Hadn't  you  better  start  in?  "  one  of  them  said. 

The  rail  was  promptly  fastened,  and  Grant,  after  ex- 
amining it,  came  back. 

"  Go  on  in  front  of  us,  and  take  your  tools  along !    It  ^ 
will  not  be  nice  for  the  man  who  tries  to  get  away,"  he 
said. 

The  prisoners  plodded  dejectedly  up  the  track  until 
they  reached  the  calaboose,  into  which  the  others  drove 
them.  Then  Grant  and  Breckenridge  went  back  to  the 
locomotive,  and  the  former  nodded  to  the  engineer : 

"  Take  us  through  to  Boynton  as  fast  as  you  can." 

283 


THE   CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

**  That  is  a  big  load  off  your  mind,"  Breckenridge  said 
as  the  panting  engine  got  under  way. 

But  Grant,  huddled  in  a  corner,  neither  moved  nor 
spoke  until,  half  an  hour  later,  they  rolled  into  a  little 
wooden  town  and  the  men  in  the  calaboose  got  down. 
There  was  nobody  about  the  depot  to  ask  them  any 
questions,  and  they  crossed  the  track  to  the  straggling 
street  apparently  on  good  terms  with  each  other,  though 
four  of  them  knew  that  unpleasant  results  would  fol- 
low any  attempt  at  a  dash  for  liberty.  In  answer  to 
Grant's  knock,  a  man  let  them  into  one  of  the  stores. 

"  I  guess  we'll  lock  them  in  the  back  store  until  morn- 
ing," he  said,  after  a  short  conference  apart  with  Grant. 
''  A  little  cooling  down  is  not  going  to  do  them  much 
harm,  and  I  don't  think  anyone  could  get  out  without 
an  axe." 

The  building  looked  secure  and,  when  food  and  hot 
coffee  had  been  served  them,  Grant  retired  to  rest.  He 
slept  soundly,  and  it  was  close  on  daylight  when  a  pound- 
ing on  the  door  awakened  him. 

"  I  guess  you  had  better  get  up  at  once,"  their  host 
called. 

A  few  minutes  later  Grant  and  Breckenridge  went 
downstairs  with  him,  and  the  storekeeper,  opening  a 
door,  lifted  the  lamp  he  held  and  pointed  to  an  open 
window  in  the  roof.  A  barrel,  with  a  box  or  two  laid 
upon  it,  stood  suggestively  beneath  it. 

Breckenridge  glanced  at  Larry,  and  saw  a  curious 
little  smile  on  his  face.  "  Yes,"  he  said,  "  it's  quite 
simple.  Now,  I  never  saw  that  window.  Where  would 
they  be  likely  to  head  for?" 

"  Pacific  Slope,"  said  the  storekeeper.  "  Wages  are 
high  just  now,  and  they  seemed  quite  afraid  of  you. 
The   west-bound   fast   freight   stopped   here   for  water 

284 


THE  STOCK  TRAIN 

about  two  hours  ago,  and  it  was  snowing  that  thick  no- 
body would  see  them  getting  into  a  box  car.  They 
heave  a  few  dry  goods  out  here  occasionally/' 

Breckenridge  turned  to  Grant.    **  You  seem  relieved.'* 

"  Yes,"  said  Grant,  with  a  little  shake  of  his  shoul- 
ders. "  If  they  have  lit  out  of  the  country  it  will  con- 
tent me.  I  have  had  quite  enough  hard  things  to  do 
lately." 

A  sudden  thought  struck  Breckenridge.  *'  You  didn't 
mean — "  he  said  with  a  shudder. 

"  I  didn't  mean  to  let  them  go,  but  I'm  glad  they've 
gone,"  Grant  answered.  "  We  made  a  warning  of  one 
of  the  cattle-barons'  men,  and  the  man  who  takes  the 
law  into  his  own  hands  is  doubly  bound  to  do  the  square 
thing  all  round.  If  he  does  less,  he  is  piling  up  a  bigger 
reckoning  than  I  would  care  to  face." 


285 


XXV 

CHEYNE   RELIEVES  HIS   FEELINGS 

A  BLUSTERING  wind  moaned  outside  the  lonely  build- 
ing, and  the  stove  snapped  and  crackled  as  the  chilly 
draughts  swept  into  the  hall  at  Cedar  Range.  Jackson 
Cheyne  had  arrived  on  horseback  in  the  creeping  dusk  an 
hour  or  two  earlier,  after  spending  most  of  four  nights 
and  days  in  the  slushy  snow,  and  was  now  resting  con- 
tentedly in  a  big  hide  chair.  Indeed,  notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  Hetty  sat  close  by,  he  was  feeling  pleas- 
antly drowsy  when  she  turned  to  him. 

"  You  have  only  told  us  that  you  didn't  find  the 
train- wreckers,  and  you  know  we  are  just  dying  with 
curiosity,"  she  said. 

Cheyne  looked  up  languidly,  wondering  whether  the 
half-indifferent  inquisitiveness  was  assumed,  as  he  re- 
membered the  anxiety  he  had  seen  in  Hetty's  face  when 
he  first  came  in.  Instead  of  answering  directly,  he 
glanced  round  the  little  group  sitting  about  the  stove — 
for  Miss  Schuyler,  and  Christopher  Allonby  and  his 
cousin  were  there,  as  well  as  Hetty. 

"  One  would  scarcely  fancy  you  were  dying  of  any- 
thing," he  said.  "  In  fact,  it  would  be  difficult  to  im- 
agine any  of  you  looking  better.  I  wonder  if  you  know 
that  with  the  way  that  the  light  falls  that  dusky  panel- 
ling forms  a  most  effective  background.  Miss  Schuyler?  " 

Flora  Schuyler  laughed.    "  We  are  not  to  be  put  off. 

286 


CHEYNE  RELIEVES  HIS  FEELINGS 

Tell  us  what  you  found — and  you  needn't  have  any  diffi- 
dence: we  are  quite  accustomed  to  hearing  the  most 
astonishing  things  at  Cedar/' 

'*  The  trouble  is  that  I  didn't  find  anything.  I  spent 
several  most  unpleasant  hours  watching  a  railroad- 
trestle  in  blinding  snow,  until  the  cattle-train  went  by 
in  safety.  Nobody  seemed  to  have  the  slightest  wish 
to  meddle  with  it." 

Without  exactly  intending  it  he  allowed  his  eyes  to 
rest  on  Hetty  a  moment,  and  fancied  he  saw  relief  in 
her  face.    But  it  was  Flora  Schuyler  who  turned  to  him. 

"What  did  you  do  then?" 

"  I  and  the  boys  then  decided  it  would  be  advisable 
to  look  for  a  ranch  where  we  could  get  food  and  shel- 
ter, and  had  some  difficulty  in  finding  one.  In  the  morn- 
ing, we  made  our  way  back  to  the  depot,  and  discovered 
that  a  gentleman  you  know  had  hired  a  locomotive  a 
little  while  after  the  cattle-train  started." 

"  Larry,  of  course !  "  ejaculated  Chris  AUonby.  "  I 
wanted  to  stake  five  dollars  with  Clavering  that  he 
would  be  too  smart  for  him  again." 

Cheyne  looked  at  him  inquiringly.  "  I  don't  quite 
understand." 

"No?"  and  Allonby's  embarrassment  was  unmis- 
takable. "  Well,  there  is  no  great  reason  why  you 
should.  I  have  a  habit  of  talking  at  random  occasion- 
ally. There  are  quite  enough  sensible  people  in  this 
country  without  me  just  now." 

"  Then,"  said  Cheyne,  "  I  went  on  to  an  especially 
forlorn  place  called  Boynton,  and  discovered  with  some 
difficulty  that  Mr.  Grant,  who  hired  the  locomotive,  had 
stopped  it  at  a  dangerous  curve  and  picked  several  men 
up.    He  took  them  on  to  Boynton,  and  there  they  seem 

287 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

to  have  disappeared,  though  it  was  suggested  that  they 
had  departed  for  a  place  unknown,  either  on  the  top 
of,  or  underneath  a  fast  freight  train." 

Chris  Allonby  chuckled.  "Well,''  he  said,  "we 
haven't  the  least  use  for  Larry  here,  but  I  am  almost 
proud  he  was  a  friend  of  mine." 

Cheyne  glancing  round  at  the  others  fancied  there 
was  a  little  glow  in  Hetty's  eyes  and  a  trace  of  warmer 
colour  in  Flora  Schuyler's  face.  It  was  only  just  per- 
ceptible to  him,  but  he  had  less  doubt  when  he  saw  that 
Miss  Allonby  was  watching  her  companion  covertly,  for 
he  was  quite  aware  that  the  perceptions  of  the  average 
young  woman  were  likely  to  be  much  keener  than  his 
own  in  such  affairs. 

"  I  can't  help  fancying  you  have  a  clue  to  what  really 
happened.  Miss  Torrance,"  he  said. 

**  Yes,"  said  Hetty  quietly.  "  It  is  quite  plain  to  me 
that  Larry  saved  the  train." 

Cheyne  glanced  at  her  sharply,  and  then  turned  to 
Allonby.     **  It  strikes  you  that  way,  too?  " 

"  Of  course,"  said  Allonby  unguardedly.  "  It  is  too 
bad  of  Larry.  He  has  beaten  us  again,  though  Claver- 
ing  fixed  the  thing  quite  nicely." 

Cheyne's  face  grew  stern.  "  I  am  to  understand  that 
you  did  not  warn  the  engineer  or  any  of  the  railroad 
men?" 

''  No,"  said  Allonby,  with  evident  embarrassment. 
"  We  didn't.  It  was  necessary  to  make  the  thing  as 
ugly  for  Larry's  friends  as  we  could,  and  we  knew  you 
would  be  at  the  bridge.  If  you  had  caught  them  in  the 
act,  with  the  train  not  far  away,  it  would  have  looked 
ever  so  much  better  for  us — and  you." 

He  stopped,  with  an  unpleasant  feeling  that  he  had 
blundered.     Cheyne's  face  had  become  grimmer.     Miss 

288 


CHEYNE  RELIEVES  HIS  FEELINGS 

Schuyler's  lips  were  curled  in  a  little  scornful  smile,  and 
there  was  a  curious  sparkle  in  Hetty's  eyes. 

"  I  wonder  if  you  quite  recognize  the  depth  of  Mr. 
Grant's  iniquity  yet?"  Flora  Schuyler  asked. 

Cheyne  smiled.  "  I  confess  I  should  very  much  like 
to  meet  the  man.  You  see,  my  profession  prevents  my 
being  a  partisan,  and  the  cleverness  and  daring  of  what 
he  has  evidently  done  appeals  to  me.  He  took  the 
chances  of  his  own  men  turning  on  him  to  save  them 
from  an  affray  with  us,  brought  them  off,  and  sent  your 
cattle-train  through;  and  what,  it  seems  to  me,  was 
more  than  all,  disregarded  the  probability  of  his  enemies 
associating  him  with  the  contriving  of  the  outrage." 

"Wouldn't  you  have  done  that?"  asked  Miss  Al- 
lonby. 

"No,"  said  the  soldier  quietly.  "I  don't  think  I 
should.  A  man  who  would  do  what  this  one  has  done 
would  be  very  likely  to  take  a  hand  in  that  kind  of 
thing." 

Again  there  was  an  almost  embarrassing  silence 
broken  by  Miss  Allonby.  "  I  wonder  who  could  have 
told  him." 

Nobody  spoke  until  Cheyne  felt  it  advisable  to  break 
the  silence. 

"  You  have  no  sympathy  with  Grant,  Miss  Allonby?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  girl  plaintively.  "  I  don't  go  quite 
as  far  as  Mr.  Qavering  and  my  cousin  do — though 
Chris  generally  talks  too  much — but  Larry  is  a  nui- 
sance, and  really  ought  to  be  crushed.  You  see,  we 
had  everything  we  w^anted  before  he  and  the  others 
made  the  trouble  here." 

"  That  is  quite  convincing,"  Cheyne  said,  with  some- 
what suspicious  gravity.    He  looked  at  the  others,  and 

289 


THE   CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

fancied  that  Hetty  would  have  answered  but  that  Flora 
Schuyler  flashed  a  warning  glance  at  her. 

"  One  could  almost  fancy  that  most  of  us  have  too 
much  now,"  she  said.  "  Are  we  better,  braver,  stronger, 
or  of  choicer  stuff  than  those  others  who  have  nothing, 
and  only  want  the  little  the  law  would  give  them?  Oh, 
yes,  we  are  accomplished — very  indifferently,  some  of 
us — and  have  been  better  taught,  though  one  sometimes 
wonders  at  the  use  we  make  of  it;  but  was  that  educa- 
tion given  us  for  our  virtues,  or  thrust  upon  us  by  the 
accident  that  our  fathers  happened  to  be  rich  ?  " 

"You  will  scarcely  approve,  Miss  Allonby?''  said 
Cheyne. 

The  girl's  lips  curled  scornfully.  '*  I  never  argue  with 
people  who  talk  like  that.  It  would  not  be  any  use — 
and  they  would  never  understand  me;  but  everybody 
knows  we  were  born  different  from  the  rabble.  It  is 
unfortunate  you  and  Larry  couldn't  go  up  and  down 
the  country  together,  convincing  people,  Flo." 

Cheyne,  seeing  the  gleam  in  Miss  Schuyler's  eyes, 
wondered  whether  there  had  been  malice  in  the  speech, 
and  was  not  sorry  that  Torrance  and  Clavering  came 
in  just  then. 

**  I  have  just  come  from  Newcombe's  and  heard  that 
you  had  failed,"  said  Torrance.  "  If  you  will  come 
along  to  my  room,  I  should  like  to  hear  about  it." 

Cheyne  smiled  as  he  rose.  "  I  don't  know  that  failed 
was  quite  the  correct  word.  My  object  was  to  protect 
the  track,  and  so  far  as  I  could  discover,  no  attempt 
was  made  to  damage  it." 

Torrance  glanced  at  him  sharply  as  they  moved  away. 
"  Now,  we  were  under  the  impression  that  it  was  the 
capture  of  the  man  responsible  for  the  affair." 

290 


GHEYNE  RELIEVES  HIS  FEELINGS 

"  Then,"  said  the  soldier  drily,  '*  I  am  afraid  you  were 
under  a  misapprehension." 

He  passed  the  next  half-hour  with  Torrance  amica- 
bly, and  it  was  not  until  he  was  returning  to  the  hall 
with  Clavering  that  he  found  an  opportunity  of  express- 
ing himself  freely.  Torrance,  he  realized,  was  an  old 
man,  and  quite  incapable  of  regarding  the  question  ex- 
cept from  his  own  point  of  view. 

"  I  am  just  a  little  astonished  you  did  not  consider 
it  advisable  to  follow  the  thing  up  further,  when  you 
must  have  seen  what  it  pointed  to,"  said  Clavering. 

"  That,"  said  Cheyne,  smiling,  **  is  foolish  of  you.  I 
would  like  to  explain  that  I  am  not  a  detective  or  a 
police  officer." 

"  You  were,  at  least,  sent  here  to  restore  tranquil- 
lity." 

^'Precisely!"  said  Cheyne.  "By  the  State.  To 
maintain  peace,  and  not  further  the  cattlemen's  schemes. 
I  am,  for  the  present,  your  leader's  guest;  but  I  have 
no  reason  for  thinking  he  believes  that  in  any  way 
constitutes  me  his  ally.  In  his  case  I  could  not  use  the 
word  accomplice." 

Clavering  flashed  an  observant  glance  at  him.  "  It 
should  be  evident  which  party  is  doing  the  most  to 
bring  about  tranquillity." 

"  It  is  not,"  said  Cheyne.  "  I  don't  know  that  it  is 
my  business  to  go  into  that  question;  but  one  or  two 
of  the  efforts  you  have  made  lately  would  scarcely  im- 
press the  fact  on  me." 

"  You  are  frank,  any  way,"  with  a  disagreeable  laugh. 

"  No,"  said  Cheyne,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eyes,  "  Fm 
not  sure  that  I  am.  We  occasionally  talk  a  good  deal 
more  plainly  in  the  United  States  cavalry." 

He  passed  on  to  the  hall  and  Clavering  went  back  to 

291 


THE   CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Torrance's  room.  "  We  have  got  to  get  rid  of  that 
man,  sir/'  he  said.  "  If  we  don't,  Larry  will  have  him. 
Allonby  had  better  go  and  worry  the  Bureau  into  send- 
ing for  another  two  or  three  squadrons  under  a  superior 
officer." 

Torrance  sighed  heavily.  "  I'm  'most  afraid  they 
are  not  going  to  take  kindly  to  any  more  worrying,"  he 
said.  ''  In  fact,  now  it's  evident  how  the  feeling  of 
the  State  is  going,  I  have  an  idea  they'd  sooner  stand 
in  with  the  homestead  boys.  Still,  we  can  try  it,  any 
way." 

It  was  about  the  same  time  that  Grant  flung  himself 
wearily  into  a  chair  in  the  great  bare  room  at  Fremont 
ranch.  His  face  was  haggard,  his  eyes  heavy,  for  he 
had  spent  the  greater  part  of  several  anxious  days  and 
nights  endeavouring  to  curb  the  headstrong  passions 
of  his  followers,  and  riding  through  leagues  of  slushy 
snow. 

"  Will  you  hurry  Tom  up  with  the  supper,  while  I 
look  through  my  letters  ?  "  he  said. 

Breckenridge  went  out,  and,  when  he  came  back  a 
little  while  later,  found  Grant  with  a  strip  of  paper  on 
his  knee. 

"  More  bad  news?  "  he  asked. 

Grant  made  no  answer,  but  passed  the  strip  of  paper 
across  to  him,  and  Breckenridge's  pulses  throbbed  fast 
with  anger  as  he  read :  "  It  is  quite  difficult  to  sit  on 
both  sides  of  the  fence,  and  the  boys  have  no  more  use 
for  you.  Still,  there  was  a  time  when  you  did  what 
you  could  for  us,  and  that  is  why  I  am  giving  you  good 
advice.  Sit  tight  at  Fremont,  and  don't  go  out  at 
nights." 

"The  consumed  asses!"  he  said.     "  You  see  what 

292 


CHEYNE  RELIEVES  HIS  FEELINGS 

he  means?  They  have  gone  after  the  herring  Claver- 
ing  drew  across  the  trail/' 

The  bronze  grew  darker  in  Larry's  face,  and  his  voice 
was  hoarse.  "  Yes — they  figure  the  cattle-men  have 
bought  me  over.  Well,  there  were  points  that  would 
have  drawn  any  man's  suspicions — the  packet  I  would 
not  give  up  to  Chilton — and,  as  you  mention,  Miss  Tor- 
rance's wallet.     Still,  it  hurts." 

Breckenridge  saw  the  veins  swell  up  on  his  comrade's 
forehead  and  tlie  trembling  of  his  hands.  "  Don't 
worry  about  them.    They  are  beasts,  old  man,"  he  said. 

Grant  said  nothing  for  at  least  a  minute,  and  then 
clenched  one  lean  brown  hand.  "  I  felt  it  would  come, 
and  yet  it  has  shaken  most  of  the  grit  out  of  me.  I 
did  what  I  could  for  them — it  was  not  easy — and  they 
have  thrown  me  over.  That  is  hard  to  bear,  but  there's 
more.  No  man  can  tell,  now  there  is  no  one  to  hold 
them  in,  how  far  they  will  go." 

Breckenridge's  answer  was  to  fling  a  cloth  upon  the 
table  and  lay  out  the  plates.  Grant  sat  very  still;  his 
voice  had  been  curiously  even,  but  his  set  face  betrayed 
w^hat  he  was  feeling,  and  there  was  something  in  his 
eyes  that  Breckenridge  did  not  care  to  see.  He  also 
felt  that  there  were  troubles  too  deep  for  any  blunder- 
ing attempt  at  sympathy,  but  the  silence  grew  oppres- 
sive, and  by  and  by  he  turned  to  his  companion  again. 

*'  We'll  presume  the  fellow  who  wrote  that  means 
well,"  he  said.    "  What  does  his  warning  point  to?  " 

Grant  smiled  bitterly.  "  An  attempt  upon  my  home- 
stead or  my  life,  and  I  have  given  them  already  rather 
more  than  either  is  worth  to  me,"  he  said. 

Breckenridge  was  perfectly  sensible  that  he  was  not 
shining  in  the  role  of  comforter;  but  he  felt  it  would 
be  something  accomplished  if  he  could  keep  his  com- 

293 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

rade  talking.  He  had  discovered  that  verbal  expression 
is  occasionally  almost  a  necessity  to  the  burdened  mind, 
though  Larry  v^as  not  greatly  addicted  to  relief  of  that 
description. 

"  Of  course,  this  campaign  has  cost  you  a  good  deal," 
he  said. 

"  Probably  five  thousand  dollars — all  that  seemed 
good  in  life — and  every  friend  I  had." 

"  After  all,  Larry,  the  thing  may  be  no  more  than  a 
joke  or  an  attempt  at  bluff.  Even  admitting  that  it  is 
not,  it  probably  only  expresses  the  views  of  a  few  of  the 
boys." 

Grant  shook  his  head.  "  No.  I  believe  it  is  quite 
genuine.  I  saw  how  affairs  were  going  even  before  I 
wouldn't  give  Chilton  the  packet ;  most  of  the  boys  were 
ready  to  break  away  then.  Well,  one  could  scarcely 
blame  them  for  not  trusting  me,  and  I  felt  I  was  laying 
down  my  authority  when  I  sent  the  stock  train  through." 

"  Not  blame  them !  "  said  Breckenridge,  clenching  his 
fist,  his  eyes  blazing.  "  Where  in  the  wide  world  would 
the  crazy  fools  get  another  man  like  you?  But  if  you 
can  take  it  quietly,  I  ought  to,  and  the  question  is,  what 
are  you  going  to  do  ?  " 

*'What  I  can,"  said  Grant.  "  Hold  the  boys  clear 
of  trouble  where  it  is  possible.  There  are  still  one  or 
two  who  will  stand  behind  me,  and  what  we  can't  do 
may  be  done  for  us.  When  a  man  is  badly  wanted  in 
this  country  he  usually  comes  to  the  front,  and  I  will 
be  glad  to  drop  out  when  I  see  him." 

"  Larry,"  Breckenridge  said  slowly,  "  I  am  younger 
than  you  are,  and  I  haven't  seen  as  much,  but  it  would 
be  better  for  me  if  I  had  half  your  optimism.  Still, 
that  was  not  quite  what  I  was  asking.  If  the  beasts 
actuallv  mean  to  burn  your  place  or  attempt  your  life 

294 


GHEYNE  RELIEVES  HIS  FEELINGS 

you  are  surely  not  going  to  give  them  the  opportunity. 
Can't  we  fix  up  a  guard  among  the  few  sensible  men 
or  send  for  the  cavalry?  " 

Grant  smiled  wearily  as  he  shook  his  head.  "  No/* 
he  said.  "  The  one  thing  I  can't  do  is  to  lift  my  hand 
against  the  men  I  brought  here  in  a  private  quarrel.'' 

Just  then  the  cook  came  in  with  the  supper,  and, 
though  the  pair  had  eaten  nothing  since  sunrise  and 
ridden  through  soft  snow  most  of  that  day,  it  cost 
Breckenridge  an  effort  to  clear  the  plate  set  before  him. 
Grant  scarcely  touched  the  food,  and  it  was  a  relief  to 
both  when  the  meal  was  over,  and  Grant's  plate,  still 
half-filled,  was  taken  away.  After  he  had  several  times 
lighted  a  cigar  and  let  it  go  out  again,  Breckenridge 
glanced  at  him  deprecatingly. 

"  I  can't  keep  it  up  any  longer,  and  I  know  how  it 
is  with  you,  because  I  feel  the  thing  myself,"  he  said. 
"  Now,  if  you  want  me  here,  I'll  stay,  but  I  have  a 
notion  the  poor  attempts  at  talk  I'm  making  are  only 
worrying  you." 

Grant  smiled,  but  Breckenridge  saw  the  answer  in 
his  face,  and  went  out  hastily,  which  was,  under  the 
circumstances,  the  wisest  thing  he  could  do.  Then, 
Grant  stretched  his  arms  wearily  above  his  head,  and 
a  faint  groan  escaped  him. 

"  It  had  to  come — ^but  it  hurts,"  he  said. 


295 


XXVI 

Larry's  reward 

Late  one  night  Larry  came  home  to  Fremont,  wet 
with  rain  and  splashed  with  mire,  for  it  was  thawing 
fast  and  he  had  ridden  far.  He  sloughed  off  his  outer 
garments,  and  turned  to  Breckenridge,  who  had  been 
waiting  him,  with  a  little,  weary  smile. 

*'  The  dollars  are  safe,  any  way,  and  that  is  a  big 
load  off  my  mind,"  he  said.  *'  Gillot  has  them  in  his 
safe,  and  nobody  can  touch  them  without  a  counter- 
signed order  from  the  executive." 

Breckenridge  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief,  for  he  knew 
that  Gillot,  who  had  a  store  in  the  railroad  town,  was 
a  determined  man,  and  quite  capable  of  taking  care  of 
what  had  been  entrusted  him.  The  dollars  in  question, 
which  had  been  raised  by  levy  and  sent  by  sympathizers, 
had  been  placed  in  Larry's  hands  to  further  the  home- 
steaders' objects  in  that  district  as  he  deemed  advisable. 
He  had,  however,  for  reasons  Breckenridge  was  ac- 
quainted with,  just  relinquished  the  responsibility. 

''  I  think  you  were  wise,"  said  the  lad.  "  It  roused 
a  good  deal  of  feeling  when  you  wouldn't  let  Harper 
and  his  friends  have  what  they  asked  for,  and  the  boys 
were  very  bitter  at  the  meeting  while  you  were  away!  " 

"  Well,"  said  Grant  drily,  ''  I  knew  what  they  wanted 
those  dollars  for,  and  if  I'd  had  twice  as  many  I  would 
not  have  given  them  one." 

296 


LARRY'S  REWARD 

"  They  could  not  have  done  much  harm  with  the  few 
they  wanted,  and  it  would  have  saved  you  a  good  deal- 
of  unpleasantness.  I  didn't  like  the  way  the  boys  were 
talking,  and  it  was  quite  plain  the  men  who  kept  their 
heads  were  anxious.  In  fact,  two  or  three  of  them  of- 
fered to  come  over  and  sleep  here  until  the  dissatis- 
faction had  simmered  down." 

**  You  did  not  accept  their  offer?'' 

"  No,  but  I  wish  you  would." 

Grant  shook  his  head.  *'  It  wouldn't  suit  me  to  own 
up  that  I  was  afraid  of  my  friends — and  I  don't  want 
to  believe  there  are  any  of  them  who  would  injure  me. 
If  there  were,  I  could  not  draw  trigger  on  them  in  de- 
fence of  my  own  property." 

"  Then  we  will  hope  for  the  best,"  said  Breckenridge, . 
somewhat  doubtfully. 

Grant,  who  had  had  supper  somewhere  else,  pres- 
ently retired,  and  Breckenridge,  who  found  the  big 
room  dreary  without  him,  followed  a  little  later.  It 
was  long  before  he  slept,  for  he  had  seen  the  temper 
of  the  more  reckless  spirits  at  the  meeting  he  had  at- 
tended, and  he  could  not  shake  off  the  memory  of  his 
comrade's  face.  Larry  had  made  no  protest,  but  Breck- 
enridge could  understand  what  he  was  feeling.  The 
ranch  was  very  quiet,  but  he  did  not  think  his  comrade 
slept;  in  this,  however,  he  was  wrong,  for,  worn  out 
by  physical  effort  and  mental  strain,  Larry  had  sunk  into 
heavy  slumber. 

Two  or  three  hours  later  Breckenridge  awakened 
suddenly.  He  sat  up  listening,  still  a  little  dazed  with 
sleep,  but  nothing  disturbed  the  silence  of  the  wooden 
building,  and  it  was  a  moment  or  two  before  the  moan 
of  the  wind  forced  itself  on  his  perceptions.  Then,  he 
thought  he  heard  the  trampling  of  a.  horse  and  stealthy 

297 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

footsteps  in  the  mire  below,  and,  springing  from  his 
bed,  ran  to  the  window.  The  night  was  dark,  but  he 
could  dimly  see  a  few  shadowy  figures  moving  towards 
the  house.  In  another  minute  he  slipped  into  part  of 
his  clothing  and  hastening  into  Grant's  room  shook  him 
roughly. 

*'  Get  up !    There  are  men  outside." 

Larry  was  on  his  feet  in  a  few  seconds  and  struggling 
into  his  garments.  "  Light  the  lamps  downstairs,''  he 
ordered. 

Breckenridge  stood  still,  astonished.  "That  would 
give  them  an  advantage.  They  might  be  the  Sheriff's 
boys." 

"  No,"  said  Larry,  with  a  laugh  that  sounded  very 
bitter,  "  I  don't  think  they  are !  Go  down,  and  do  what 
I  tell  you." 

Breckenridge  went,  but  his  fingers  shook  so  that  he 
broke  several  sulphur  matches  in  his  haste  before  he 
had  lighted  one  big  lamp  in  the  log-built  hall.  Then, 
as  he  turned  towards  the  living  room,  there  was  a 
pounding  on  the  door,  and  while  he  stood  irresolute 
Grant,  partly  dressed,  came  running  down  the  stairway. 
Two  other  men  showed  dimly  behind  him,  but  Brecken- 
ridge scarcely  saw  them,  for  he  sprang  through  the 
doorway  into  the  unlighted  room,  and  the  next  moment 
fell  over  a  table.  Picking  himself  up  with  an  objurga- 
tion, he  groped  along  the  wall  for  the  rack  where  the 
rifles  stood,  and  was  making  his  way  back  towards  the 
blink  of  light  with  two  of  them  in  his  hands,  when  a 
hoarse  voice  demanded  admission  and  the  door  rattled 
under  the  blows  showered  upon  it.  Then,  as  he  came 
out  into  the  hall,  Grant  turned  to  him. 

"  Put  those  rifles  down,"  he  said  quietly. 

Breckenridge  stared  at  him.    "  But " 

298 


LARRY'S  REWARD 

"  Put  them  down !  "  said  Grant,  with  a  little  impa- 
tient gesture;  Breckenridge  let  the  weapons  fall  but  he 
was  pleased  to  see  the  cook,  who  now  stood  at  the  foot 
of  the  stairway,  slip  softly  forward  and  pick  up  one 
of  them.  Grant  was  looking  at  the  door  and  did  not 
see  the  man  move  back  half-way  up  the  stairs  as  si- 
lently as  he  came. 

Once  more  a  hoarse  shout  rose  from  outside :  "  Open 
that  door  before  we  break  it  in !  " 

For  a  moment  or  two,  as  if  to  give  point  to  the  warn- 
ing, the  door  creaked  and  rattled  as  the  axe-heads  beat 
upon  it,  and  then  the  din  ceased  suddenly,  for  Grant, 
who  recognized  the  voice,  raised  his  hand. 

"  Open  it  for  them,"  he  said,  so  loudly  that  he  could 
be  heard  outside. 

Breckenridge  was  almost  glad  to  obey.  It  would 
have  pleased  him  better  to  have  taken  his  place,  rifle 
in  hand,  w^th  the  cook  on  the  stairway,  but  since  Grant 
had  evidently  determined  not  to  oppose  the  assailants' 
entrance  by  violence,  it  was  a  relief  to  do  anything  that 
would  terminate  the  suspense.  Still,  his  heart  throbbed 
painfully  as  he  seized  the  bolt,  and  he  glanced  round 
once  more  in  what  he  felt  was  futile  protest.  Grant, 
who  evidently  saw  what  he  was  thinking  in  his  face, 
only  smiled  a  little  and  signed  with  his  hand. 

Breckenridge  drew  the  bolt,  and  sprang  backwards 
as  the  door  swung  open.  Men  with  axes  and  rifles 
showed  up  in  the  light;  but  while  here  and  there  an 
axe  flashed  back  a  twinkling  gleam,  or  a  face  shone 
w^hite,  the  rest  was  blurred  and  shadowy,  and  he  could 
only  see  hazy  figures  moving  against  the  blackness  of 
the  night.  His  companion  was  standing  alone  in  the 
middle  of  the  hall,  motionless  and  impassive,  with  noth- 
ing in  his  hands. 

299 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  Now,"  he  said,  in  a  voice  that  jarred  on  Brecken- 
ridge's  ears,  "the  door  is  open.     What  do  you  want?" 

''  We  want  you,"  said  one  of  the  men  outside. 

"  Then,  Til  come  out  and  talk  to  you,"  said  Grant. 

Breckenridge  laid  a  restraining  hand  upon  his  arm, 
t)Ut  he  shook  it  off,  and  moving  forward  stopped  just 
outside  the  threshold.  The  lad  could  not  see  his  face, 
but  he  noticed  that  he  stood  very  straight,  with  his  head 
thrown  back  a  trifle,  and  that  one  or  two  of  those  with- 
out edged  farther  into  the  shadowy  crowd.  Glancing 
•behind  him,  he  also  saw  the  cook  leaning  forward  on  the 
stairway  with  the  rifle  glinting  in  his  hands. 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Grant,  and  his  voice  rang  command- 
ingly. 

'*  We  have  come  for  the  dollars,"  said  a  man.  "  We 
want  them,  and  they're  ours." 

*^  Then,  you  must  ask  your  committee  for  them. 
They  are  not  in  my  house." 

"  Bluff !  "  said  somebody ;  and  an  angry  clamour  broke 
out. 

"  Hand  them  out,"  cried  one  voice,  "  before  we  burn 
the  place  for  you." 

Larry  swung  up  one  hand  commandingly,  and  Breck- 
enridge felt  a  thrill  of  pride  when,  as  if  in  tribute  to 
his  comrade's  fearlessness,  a  sudden  silence  followed. 
Larry  stood  alone,  statuesque  in  poise,  with  arm  stretched 
out  in  the  face  of  the  hostile  crowd,  and  once  more  the 
respect  the  men  had  borne  him  asserted  itself. 

^*  You  will  listen  to  me,  boys,  and  it  may  be  the  last 
time  I  shall  speak  to  you,"  he  said.  "You  know  that 
right  back  from  the  beginning  I  have  done  the  best  I 
could  for  you,  and  now  I  feel  it  in  me  that  if  you  will 
wait  just  a  little  longer  the  State  will  do  more  than  I 
could  ever  do.     Can't  you  understand  that  if  you  go 

300 


LARRY'S  REWARD 

round  destroying  railroad-trestles,  shooting  cattle,  and 
burning  ranches,  you  are  only  playing  into  the  hand 
of  your  enemies,  and  the  very  men  in  the  legislature 
who  would,  if  you  kept  your  patience,  make  your  rights 
sure  to  you,  will  be  forced  to  turn  the  cavalry  loose  on 
you  ?  Can't  you  sit  tight  another  month  or  two,  instead 
of  throwing  all  we  have  fought  for  away?" 

The  silence  that  followed  the  speech  lasted  for  a. 
space  of  seconds,  and  then,  when  Breckenridge  hoped 
Grant  might  still  impose  prudence  upon  the  crowd,  there 
were  murmurs  of  doubt  and  suspicion.  They  grew 
rapidly  louder,  and  a  man  stepped  out  from  the  rest. 

"  The  trouble  is  that  we  don't  believe  in  you,  Larry/* 
he  said.  "  You  were  with  us  solid  one  time,  but  that 
was  before  the  cattle-barons  bought  you." 

A  derisive  laugh  followed,  and  when  Grant  turned 
a  little  Breckenridge  saw  his  face.  The  bronze  in  it 
had  faded,  and  left  paler  patches,  that  seemed  almost 
grey,  while  the  lad,  who  knew  his  comrade's  pride  and 
uprightness,  fancied  he  could  guess  how  that  taunt, 
made  openly,  had  wounded  him. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  very  slowly,  "  I  can  only  hope  you 
will  have  more  confidence  in  your  next  leader;  but  I 
am  on  the  list  of  the  executive  still,  and  if  the  house 
was  full  of  dollars  I  wouldn't  give  you  one  of  them  with 
which  to  make  trouble  that  you'll  most  surely  be  sorry 
for.  Any  way,  those  I  had  are  safe  in  a  place  where, 
while  your  committee  keep  their  heads,  you  will  not  lay; 
hands  on  them." 

A  shout  of  disbelief  was  followed  by  uproar,  through 
which  there  broke  detached  cries :  "  Pull  him  down ! 
He  has  them  all  the  time!  Pound  them  out  of  him! 
Burn  the  place  down  for  a  warning  to  the  cattle-men ! " 

They  died  away  when  one  of  the  men,  with  emphatic 

301 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

gestures,  demanded  attention.  Moving  out  from  the 
rest,  he  turned  to  Grant.  "  You  have  rifles  and  cart- 
ridges here,  and  after  all,  those  are  what  we  want 
the  most.  Now — and  it's  your  last  chance — hand  them 
out." 

"  No,"  said  Grant. 

The  man  made  a  little  gesture  of  resignation. 
"  Boys,"  he  said,  "  you  will  have  to  go  in  and  take 
them." 

Grant  still  stood  motionless  and  unyielding  on  his 
threshold,  but  he  had  only  a  moment's  grace,  for  the 
men  outside  surged  on  again,  and  one  swung  a  rifle- 
butt  over  him.  Breckenridge  saw  his  comrade  seize  it, 
and  had  sprung  to  his  side  when  a  rifle  flashed  on  the 
stairway  behind  him  and  a  man  cried  out  and  fell.  The 
next  instant  another  rifle-butt  whirled,  and  Grant,  reel- 
ing sideways,  went  down  and  was  trampled  on. 

Breckenridge  ran  towards  the  rifle  still  lying  in  the 
hall,  but  before  he  could  reach  it  there  was  a  roar  of 
voices  and  a  rush  of  feet,  and  the  men  who  poured 
in  headlong  were  upon  him.  Something  hard  and  heavy 
smote  him  in  the  face,  and  as  he  reeled  back  gasping 
there  was  another  flash  on  the  stairway.  His  head 
struck  something,  and  he  was  never  sure  of  what  hap- 
pened during  the  next  half-hour. 

When,  feeling  very  dizzy,  Breckenridge  raised  him- 
self in  the  corner  where  he  had  been  lying,  the  hall 
was  empty  save  for  two  huddled  figures  in  the  door- 
way, and  while  he  blinked  at  them  in  a  half-dazed 
fashion,  it  seemed  to  him  that  a  red  glare,  which  rose 
and  fell,  shone  in.  He  could  also  smell  burning  wood, 
and  saw  dim  wreaths  of  smoke  drive  by  outside.  His 
hearing  was  not  especially  acute  just  then,  but  he  fan- 
cied that  men  were  trampling,  and  apparently  dragging 

302 


LARRY^S  REWARD 

furniture  about  all  over  the  building.  Then,  as  his 
scattered  senses  came  back  to  him,  he  rose  feebly  to 
his  feet,  and  finding  to  his  astonishment  that  he  still 
possessed  the  power  of  locomotion,  walked  unevenly 
towards  the  motionless  objects  in  the  doorway.  One 
of  them,  as  he  expected,  was  Grant,  who  was  lying  very 
white  and  still,  just  as  he  had  fallen. 

'*  Larry,"  Breckenridge  said,  and  shivered  at  the 
sound  of  his  own  voice.     "  Larry ! '' 

But  there  was  no  answer,  and  Breckenridge  sat  down 
by  Grant's  side  with  a  little  groan,  for  his  head  swam 
once  more  and  he  felt  a  horrible  coldness  creeping  over 
him.  How  long  he  sat  there,  while  the  smoke  that 
rolled  in  from  outside  grew  denser,  he  did  not  know; 
but  by  and  by  he  was  dimly  conscious  that  the  men  were 
coming  down  the  stairway.  They  clustered  about  him, 
and  one  of  them,  stooping  over  the  injured  homesteader, 
signed  to  his  comrades. 

"  Put  him  into  the  wagon,  and  start  off  at  once,"  he 
said. 

Three  or  four  men  came  out  from  the  rest,  and  when 
they  shuffled  away  with  their  burden,  the  one  who 
seemed  to  be  leader  pointed  to  Grant  as  he  turned  to 
Breckenridge. 

"  He  would  have  it,  and  the  thump  on  the  head  he 
got  would  have  put  an  end  to  most  men,"  he  said. 
"  Still,  I  don't  figure  you  need  worry  about  burying 
him  just  yet,  and  I  want  a  straight  answer.  Are  those 
dollars  in  the  house  ?  " 

Breckenridge  sat  blinking  at  him  a  moment,  and  then 
very  shakily  dragged  himself  to  his  feet,  and  stood  be- 
fore the  man,  with  one  hand  clenched.  His  face  was 
white  and  drawn  and  there  was  a  red  smear  on  his 
forehead. 

303 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  If  you  would  not  believe  the  man  who  lies  there, 
^ill  you  take  my  word  ?  "  he  said  unevenly.  "  He  told 
you  they  were  not." 

"  I  guess  he  spoke  the  truth,"  said  somebody.  "  Any 
way,  we  can't  find  them.  Well,  what  is  to  be  done  with 
him?" 

Breckenridge,  who  was  not  quite  himself,  laughed 
bitterly.  "  Leave  him  where  he  is,  and  go  away.  You 
have  done  enough,"  he  said.  "  He  gave  you  all  he  had 
— and  I  know,  as  no  other  man  ever  will,  what  it  cost 
him — and  this  is  how  you  have  repaid  him." 

Some  of  the  men  looked  confused,  and  the  leader 
made  a  deprecatory  gesture.  "  Any  way,  we'll  give  you 
a  hand  to  put  him  where  you  want." 

Breckenridge  waved  him  back  fiercely.  "  I  am  alone ; 
but  none  of  you  shall  lay  a  hand  on  him  while  I  can 
keep  you  off.  If  you  have  left  any  life  in  him,  the 
touch  of  your  fingers  would  hurt  him  more  than  any- 
thing." 

The  other  man  seemed  to  have  a  difficulty  in  finding 
an  answer,  and  while  he  stared  at  Breckenridge  there 
was  a  trample  of  hoofs  in  the  mire  outside,  and  a  shout. 
Breckenridge  could  not  catch  its  meaning,  but  the  men 
about  him  streamed  out  of  the  hall  and  he  could  hear 
them  mounting  in  haste.  As  the  rapid  beat  of  hoofs 
gradually  died  away,  looking  up  at  a  sound,  he  saw  the 
cook  bending  over  his  comrade.  The  man,  seeing  in 
his  eyes  the  question  he  dared  not  ask,  shook  his  head. 

"  No,  I  guess  they  haven't  killed  him,"  he  said. 
**  Kind  of  knocked  all  the  senses  out  of  him ;  and  now 
I've  let  the  rest  out,  we'll  get  him  to  bed." 

"  The  rest  ?  "  Breckenridge  asked  bewildered. 

The  man  nodded.  "  Yes,"  he  said,  "  I  guess  I  got 
one  or  two  of  the  homestead-boys,  and  then  Charley 

304 


LARRY'S  REWARD 

and  I  lit  out  through  a  back  window,  and  sHpped  round 
to  see  why  the  stockboys  weren't  coming.  It  was  quite 
simple.  The  blame  firebugs  had  put  a  man  with  a  rifle 
at  the  door  of  their  sleeping  shed.'' 

Three  or  four  other  men  trooped  in  somewhat  sheep- 
ishly, though,  as  the  cook  had  explained,  it  was  not 
their  fault  they  had  arrived  after  the  fight  was  over; 
and  while  they  carried  their  master  upstairs  Brecken- 
ridge  thought  he  heard  another  beat  of  hoofs.  He  paid 
no  great  attention  to  it,  but  when  Larry  had  been  laid 
on  the  bed  glanced  towards  the  window  at  the  streaks 
of  flame  breaking  through  the  smoke  that  rolled  about 
a  birch-log  building. 

"  What  can  be  done  ?  "  he  said. 

"  I  don't  know  that  we  can  do  anything,''  answered 
the  cook.  **  The  fire  has  got  too  good  a  holt,  but  it's 
not  likely  to  light  anything  else  the  way  the  wind  is. 
It  was  one  of  them  blame  Chicago  rustlers  put  the 
firestick  in." 

"  Pshaw !  "  said  Breckenridge.  "  Let  it  burn.  I 
mean,  what  can  be  done  for  Larry?" 

"  We  might  give  him  some  whiskey — only  we  haven't 
any.  Still,  I've  seen  this  kind  of  thing  happen  in  the 
Michigan  lumber-camps,  and  I  guess  he's  most  as  well 
without  it.  You  want  to  give  a  man's  brains  time  to 
settle  down  after  they've  had  a  big  shake-up." 

Breckenridge  sat  down  limply  on  the  foot  of  the  bed, 

»  faint  and  dizzy,  and  wondering  if  he  really  heard  a 

regular,  rhythmic  drumming  through  the  snapping  of 

the  flame.     It  grew  louder  while  he  listened,  and  a  faint 

musical  jingling  became  audible  with  it. 

"  That  sounds  like  cavalry,"  the  cook  said.  "  They 
have  been  riding  round  and  seen  the  blaze." 

And  a  few  minutes  later  a  voice  rose  sharply  outside, 

305 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

and  some,  at  least,  of  the  riders  pulled  up.  The  cook, 
at  a  sign  from  Breckenridge,  went  down,  and  came 
back  by  and  by  with  a  man  in  bespattered  blue  uniform. 

"  Captain  Cheyne,  United  States  cavalry — at  your 
service/'  he  said.  ''  I  am  afraid  I  have  come  a  trifle 
late  to  be  of  much  use ;  but  a  few  of  my  men  are  trying 
to  pick  up  the  rustlers'  trail.  Now,  how  did  that  man 
get  hurt,  and  what  is  the  trouble  about  ?  " 

Breckenridge  told  him  as  concisely  as  he  could,  and 
Cheynes  bent  over  the  silent  figure  on  the  bed. 

"  Quietness  is  often  good  in  these  cases ;  but  there  is 
such  a  thing  as  collapse  following  the  shock,  and  I  guess 
by  your  friend's  face  it  might  be  well  to  try  to  rouse 
him,"  he  said.     "Have  you  any  brandy?" 

"  No,"  said  Breckenridge.  "  It  has  been  quite  a  time 
since  we  had  that  or  any  other  luxuries  in  this  house. 
Its  owner  stripped  himself  for  the  benefit  of  the  men 
who  did  their  best  to  kill  him." 

Cheyne  brought  out  a  flask.  "  This  should  do  as 
well,"  he  said.  "  You  can  tell  that  man  to  boil  some 
water,  and  in  the  meanwhile  help  me  to  get  the  flask 
top  into  your  partner's  mouth." 

It  was  done  with  some  difficulty,  and  Breckenridge 
waited  anxiously  until  a  quiver  ran  through  the  motion- 
less body.  Then  Cheyne  repeated  the  dose,  and  Larry 
gasped  and  slowly  opened  his  eyes.  He  said  something 
the  others  could  not  catch,  and  closed  them  again;  but 
Breckenridge  fancied  a  little  warmth  crept  into  his 
pallid  skin. 

"I  guess  that  will  do,"  said  Cheyne.  "In  one  or 
two  of  my  stations  we  had  to  be  our  own  field  hospital ; 
but  I  don't  know  enough  of  surgery  to  take  the  respon- 
sibility of  stirring  up  his  circulation  any  further.     Still, 

306 


LARRY'S  REWARD 

when  you  can  get  them  ready,  we  will  have  hot  bottles 
at  his  feet.'' 

"  My  boys  have  got  the  fire  under,"  Cheyne  said, 
coming  in  an  hour  later.  *'  Now,  I  have  been  in  the 
saddle  most  of  the  day,  and  while  your  cook  has  prom- 
ised to  billet  the  boys,  I'll  have  to  ask  you  for  shelter. 
If  you  told  me  a  little  about  what  led  up  to  this  trouble, 
it  might  pass  the  time." 

"  I  don't  see  why  I  should,"  Breckenridge  informed 
him. 

"  It  could  not  hurt  you,  any  way,"  suggested  Cheyne, 
"  and  it  might  do  you  good." 

Breckenridge  looked  at  him  steadily,  and  felt  a  curi- 
ous confidence  in  the  discretion  of  the  quiet,  bronze- 
faced  man.  As  the  result  of  it,  he  told  him  a  good  deal 
more  than  he  had  meant  to  do  when  he  commenced  the 
story. 

^'  I  think  you  have  done  right,"  Cheyne  said.  *'  A 
little  rough  on  him !  I  had  already  figured  he  was  that 
kind  of  a  man.  Well,  I  hear  the  rest  of  the  boys  com- 
ing back,  and  I'll  send  up  a  sergeant  who  knows  a  good 
deal  about  these  accidents  to  look  after  him." 

The  sergeant  came  up  by  and  by  and  kept  watch 
with  Breckenridge  for  a  while ;  but,  after  an  hour  or  so 
Breckenridge's  head  grew  very  heavy,  and  the  sergeant, 
taking  his  arm,  silenced  his  protests  by  nipping  it  and 
quietly  put  him  out  of  the  room.  When  he  awoke  next 
morning  he  found  that  Grant  was  capable  at  least  of 
speech,  for  Cheyne  was  asking  him  questions,  and  re- 
ceiving very  unsatisfactory  answers. 

"  In  fact,"  said  the  cavalry  officer,  "  you  don't  feel 
disposed  to  tell  me  who  the  men  that  tried  to  burn 
your  place  were,  or  anything  about  them  ?  " 

"  No,"  Larry  said  feebly.  "  It  would  be  pleasanter 
if  you  concluded  I  was  not  quite  fit  to  talk  just  now." 

307 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Cheyne  glanced  at  Breckenridge,  who  was  watching 
him  anxiously.  "  In  that  case  I  could  not  think  of 
worrying  you,  and  have  no  doubt  I  can  find  out.  In  the 
meanwhile  I  guess  the  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  go 
to  sleep  again." 

He  drew  Breckenridge  out  of  the  room,  and  shook 
hands  with  him.  "  If  you  are  wanted  I'll  send  for  you," 
he  said.  "  Keep  your  comrade  quiet,  and  I  should  be 
astonished  if  he  is  not  about  again  in  a  day  or  two." 

Then,  he  went  down  the  stairway  and  swung  himself 
into  the  saddle,  and  with  a  rattle  and  jingle  he  and  the 
men  behind  him  rode  away. 


308 


XXVII 
clavering's  last  card 

There  was  an  impressive  silence  in  Hetty*s  little 
drawing-room  at  Cedar  Range  when  Cheyne,  who  had 
ridden  there  the  day  after  he  left  Fremont,  told  his 
story.  He  had  expected  attention,  but  the  effect  his 
narrative  produced  astonished  him.  Hetty  had  softly 
pushed  her  chair  back  into  the  shadow  where  the  light 
of  the  shaded  lamp  did  not  fall  upon  her,  but  her  still- 
ness was  significant.  He  could,  however,  see  Miss 
Schuyler,  and  wondered  what  accounted  for  the  im- 
passiveness  of  her  face,  now  the  colour  that  had  flushed 
her  cheek  had  faded.  The  silence  was  becoming  em- 
barrassing when  Miss  Schuyler  broke  it. 

"  Mr.  Grant  is  recovering  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Yes,"  said  Cheyne.  "  He  was  coming  round  when 
I  left  him.  The  blow  might  have  been  a  dangerous  one  ; 
but  I  had  a  suspicion  he  had  more  than  that  to  contend 
with." 

"  Yes?  "  said  Hetty,  a  little  breathlessly. 

"  Of  course,  his  affairs  were  not  my  business,"  Cheyne 
went  on,  "  but  it  seemed  to  me  the  man  had  been  living 
under  a  heavy  strain ;  and  though  we  were  strangers,  I 
could  not  help  feeling  a  sympathy  that  almost  amounted 
to  a  liking  for  him.  He  must  have  found  it  trying  when 
the  men  he  had  done  his  best  for  came  round  to  burn 
his  place;  but  I  understand  he  went  out  to  speak  to 
them  with  empty  hands  when  they  struck  him  down." 

309 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

'*  What  made  them  attack  him  ? "  asked  Miss 
Schuyler. 

"  Fm  not  quite  sure,  but  I  have  an  idea  they  were 
displeased  because  he  did  not  countenance  their  attempt 
to  wreck  the  cattle-train.  Then,  I  believe  he  held  some 
dollars  in  trust  for  them,  and,  as  they  presumably  wanted 
them  for  some  fresh  outrage,  would  not  give  them  up. 
Mr.  Grant  is  evidently  a  man  with  a  sense  of  responsi- 
bility." 

Hetty  looked  up  suddenly.  "  Yes,"  she  said.  "  He 
would  have  let  them  tear  him  to  pieces  before  he  gave 
them  one." 

Cheyne  noticed  the  faint  ring  in  her  voice,  and  fan- 
cied it  would  have  been  plainer  had  she  not  laid  a 
restraint  upon  herself.  A  vague  suspicion  he  had 
brushed  away  once  more  crept  into  his  mind. 

**  Well,"  he  said,  slowly,  watching  Hetty  the  while, 
"  I  fancy  the  efforts  he  made  to  save  your  friends'  stock 
will  cost  him  a  good  deal.  The  point  is  that  a  man  of 
his  abilities  must  have  recognized  it  at  the  time." 

Hetty  met  his  glance,  and  Cheyne  saw  the  little  glow 
in  her  eyes.  "  Do  you  think  that  would  have  counted 
for  anything  with  such  a  man?  " 

Cheyne  made  a  little  gesture  of  negation  that  in  a 
curious  fashion  became  him.  **  No.  That  is,  I  do  not 
believe  he  would  have  let  it  influence  him." 

"  That,"  said  Miss  Schuyler,  "  is  a  very  comprehen- 
sive admission." 

Cheyne  smiled.  "  I  don't  know  that  I  could  desire  a 
higher  tribute  paid  to  me.  Might  one  compliment  you 
both  on  your  evident  desire  to  be  fair  to  your  enemies?  " 

He  saw  the  faint  flush  in  Hetty's  face,  and  was  wait- 
ing with  a  curious  expectancy  for  her  answer,  when 
Torrance  came  in.  He  appeared  grimly  pleased  at 
something  as  he  signed  to  Cheyne. 

-^lo 


CLAVERING'S  LAST  CARD 

"  His  friends  have  burned  the  rascal  out,"  he  said. 
**  Well,  I  don't  know  that  we  could  have  hoped  for  any- 
thing better;  but  I  want  to  hear  what  you  can  tell  me 
about  it.  You  will  have  to  spare  me  Captain  Cheyne 
for  a  little,  Hetty." 

Cheyne  rose  and  went  away  with  him,  while,  when 
the  door  closed  behind  them,  Hetty — who  had  seen  the 
vindictive  satisfaction  in  her  father's  face — turned  to 
her  companion  with  a  flash  of  imperious  anger  in  her 
eyes. 

"  Flo,"  she  said,  ''  how  can  he?     It's  wicked  of  him." 

Miss  Schuyler  checked  her  with  a  gesture.  "  Any 
way,  he  is  your  father." 

Hetty  flushed,  but  the  colour  faded  and  left  her  face 
white  again.  "  Well,"  she  said,  *^  Clavering  isn't,  and 
it  is  he  who  has  made  him  so  bitter  against  Larry.  Flo, 
it's  horrible.  They  would  have  been  glad  if  the  boys 
had  killed  him,  and  when  he's  ill  and  wounded  they 
will  not  let  me  go  to  him." 

Her  voice  broke  and  trembled^  and  Flora  Schuyler 
laid  a  hand  restrainingly  upon  her  arm.  "  Of  course. 
But  why  should  you,  Hetty?  " 

Hetty,  who  shook  off  her  grasp,  rose  and  stood  quiver- 
ing a  little,  but  very  straight,  looking  down  on  her  with 
pride,  and  a  curious  hardness  in  her  eyes. 

''You  don't  know?"  she  said.  "Then  I'll  tell  you. 
Because  there  is  nobody  like  Larry,  and  never  will  be. 
Because  I  love  him  better  than  I  ever  fancied  I  could 
love  anybody,  and — though  it's  'most  wonderful — he  has 
loved  me  and  waited  ever  so  patiently.  Now  they  are 
all  against  him,  I'm  going  to  him.  Flo,  they  have  'most 
made  me  hate  them,  the  people  I  belong  to,  and  I  think 
if  I  was  a  man  I  could  kill  Clavering." 

Flora  Schuyler  sat  very  still  a  moment,  but  it  was 

311 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

fortunate  she  retained  her  composure  whatever  she  may 
have  felt,  for  Hetty  was  in  a  mood  for  any  rashness. 
Stretching  out  her  hand,  she  drew  the  girl  down  beside 
her  with  a  forceful  gentleness. 

"  Hetty,"  she  said,  "  I  think  I  know  how  such  a  man  as 
Larry  is  would  feel,  and  you  want  him  to  be  proud  of 
you.  Well,  there  are  things  that  neither  he  nor  you 
could  do,  and  you  must  listen  to  me  quietly.'' 

She  reasoned  with  the  girl  for  a  while  until  Hetty 
shook  the  passion  from  her. 

'^  Of  course  you  are  right,  Flo,"  she  said,  and  her  voice 
was  even.  "  If  he  could  bear  all  that,  I  can  be  patient 
too.  Larry  has  had  ever  so  many  hard  things  to  do,  but 
it  is  only  because  it  would  not  be  fair  to  him  I'm  not 
going  to  him  now.  Flo,  you  will  not  leave  me  until  the 
trouble's  through  ?  " 

Miss  Schuyler  turned  and  kissed  her,  and  then,  rising 
quietly,  went  out  of  the  room.  She  had  shown  Hetty 
her  duty  to  Larry,  which  she  felt  would  be  more  con- 
vincing just  then  than  an  exposition  of  what  she  owed 
her  father,  and  had  reasons  for  desiring  solitude  to  grap- 
ple with  affairs  of  her  own.  What  she  had  done  had 
cost  her  an  effort,  but  Flora  Schuyler  was  fond  of 
Hetty  and  recognized  the  obligation  of  the  bond  she 
was  contracting  when  she  made  a  friend. 

Some  minutes  had  passed  when  Hetty  rose  and  took 
down  her  writing-case  from  a  shelf.  She  could  at  least 
communicate  with  Larry,  for  the  maid,  who  had  more 
than  one  admirer  among  the  cow-boys,  had  found  a 
means  by  which  letters  could  be  conveyed;  but  the  girl 
could  not  command  her  thoughts,  and  written  sympathy 
seemed  so  poor  and  cold  a  thing.  Two  letters  were 
written  and  flung  into  the  stove,  for  Flora  Schuyler's 

312 


CLAVERING'S  LAST  CARD 

counsel  was  bearing  fruit;  and  she  had  commenced  two 
more  when  there  was  a  tapping  at  the  door,  Hetty 
looked  up  with  a  Httle  flash  in  her  eyes,  and  swept  the 
papers  into  the  writing-case  as  Clavering  came  in. 
Then  she  rose,  and  stood  looking  at  him  very  coldly. 

It  was  an  especially  unfortunate  moment  for  the  man 
to  approach  her  in,  and,  though  he  did  not  know  why  it 
should  be  so,  he  recognized  it;  but  there  were  reasons 
that  made  any  further  procrastination  distinctly  unad- 
visable. 

"  There  is  something  I  have  been  wanting  to  tell  you 
for  a  long  time,  Hetty,"  he  said. 

"  It  would  be  better  for  you  to  wait  a  little  longer," 
the  girl  said  chillingly.  *'  I  don't  feel  inclined  to  listen 
to  anything  to-night." 

^'  The  trouble,"  said  Clavering,  who  spoke  the  truth, 
^^  is  that  I  can't.  It  has  hurt  me  to  keep,  silent  as  long 
as  I  have  done  already." 

He  saw  the  hardening  of  Hetty's  lips,  and  knew  that 
he  had  blundered ;  but  he  was  committed  now,  and  could 
only  obey  when  she  said,  with  a  gesture  of  weariness 
*Then  go  on." 

The  abrupt  command  would  probably  have  discon- 
certed most  men  and  effectually  spoiled  the  appeal  they 
meant  to  make,  and  Clavering's  face  flushed  as  he  rec- 
ognized its  ludicrous  aspect.  Still,  he  could  not  withdraw 
then,  and  he  made  the  best  of  a  difficult  position  with  a 
Certain  gracefulness  which  might,  under  different  cir- 
cumstances, have  secured  him  a  modicum  of  considera- 
tion. As  it  was,  however,  Hetty's  anger  left  her  almost 
white,  and  there  was  a  light  he  did  not  care  to  see  in  her 
eyes  when  she  turned  towards  him. 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  told  me  this,"  she  said.  "  Since 
nothing  else  would  convince  you,  it  will  enable  me  to 

313 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

talk  plainly;  I  don't  consider  it  an  honour — not  in  the 
least.  Can't  you  see  that  it  is  wholly  and  altogether 
out  of  the  question  that  I  should  ever  think  in  that  way 
of  you? '' 

Clavering  gasped,  and  the  darker  colour  that  was  in 
his  cheek  showed  in  his  forehead  too.  Hetty  reminded 
him  very  much  of  her  father,  then — and  he  had  wit- 
nessed one  or  two  displays  of  the  cattle-baron's  temper. 

"  I  admit  that  I  have  a  good  many  shortcomings,  but, 
since  you  ask.  I  must  confess  that  I  don't  quite  under- 
stand why  my  respectful  offer  should  rouse  your  indig- 
nation/' 

"  No? ''  said  Hetty  coldly,  with  the  vindictive  sparkle 
still  in  her  eyes.     "  Then  aren't  you  very  foolish?  '' 

Clavering  smiled,  though  it  was  not  easy.  **  Well,'' 
he  said.  **  I  was  evidently  too  audacious ;  but  you  have 
not  told  me  yet  why  the  proposal  I  ventured  to  make 
should  appear  quite  preposterous." 

*'  I  think.''  said  Hetty,  *'  it  would  be  considerably  nicer 
for  you  if  I  didn't.  I  can,  however,  tell  you  this — I 
would  never,  under  any  circumstances,  marry  you." 

Clavering  bent  his  head,  and  took  himself  away  with 
the  best  grace  he  could,  while  Hetty,  who,  perhaps 
because  she  had  been  under  a  heavy  strain,  became 
suddenly  sensible  of  a  most  illogical  desire  to  laugh, 
afterwards  admitted  that  he  really  accomplished  it  be- 
comingly. But  the  laughter  that  would  have  been  a 
relief  to  her  did  not  come,  and  after  toying  in  a  pur- 
poseless fashion  with  her  writing-case,  she  rose  and 
slipped  out  of  the  room,  unfortunately  leaving  it  open. 

A  few  minutes  later  Clavering  met  the  maid  in  the 
corridor  that  led  to  Torrance's  room,  and  the  girl,  who 
saw  his  face,  and  may  have  guessed  what  had  brought 
the  anger  into  his  eyes,  stopped  a  moment.    It  is  also 

314 


CLAVERING'S  LAST  CARD 

probable  that,  being  a  young  woman  with  quick  percep- 
tions, she  had  guessed  with  some  correctness  how  far 
his  regard  for  Hetty  went. 

"  You  don't  seem  pleased  to-night/'  she  said. 

"  No  ?  "  said  Clavering,  with  a  little  laugh  which  rang 
hollow.  "  Well,  I  should  be.  It  is  quite  a  while  since 
I  had  a  talk  with  you." 

'*  Pshaw ! ''  said  the  girl,  who  failed  to  blush,  though 
she  wished  to,  watching  him  covertly.  **  Now,  I  wonder 
if  what  Fm  going  to  tell  you  will  make  you  more  angry 
still.  Suppose  you  heard  Miss  Torrance  had  been  send- 
ing letters  to  Larry  Grant  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  should  believe  it,"  said  Claver- 
ing, as  unconcernedly  as  he  could. 

"  Well,  she  has,"  the  girl  said.  "  What  is  more,  she 
has  been  going  out  to  meet  him  in  the  Cedar  Bluff." 

Clavering's  face  betrayed  him,  and  for  a  moment  the 
girl,  who  saw  his  lips  set,  was  almost  afraid.  He  con- 
trived, however,  to  make  a  light  answer,  and  was  about 
to  ask  a  question  when  a  door  creaked.  The  next  mo- 
ment Torrance  came  out  into  the  corridor,  and  Claver- 
ing's  opportunity  vanished  with  the  maid.  Torrance, 
who  had  evidently  not  seen  her,  kept  him  talking  for 
a  while. 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  girl  contrived  an  excuse  for 
entering  the  room  where  she  was  quite  aware  Hetty 
and  Clavering  had  met.  She  did  not  find  her  mistress, 
but,  as  it  happened,  noticed  the  writing-case,  and,  hav- 
ing a  stake  in  affairs,  opened  it.  Inside  she  found  two 
sheets  of  paper,  and  after  considering  the  probabilities 
of  detection  appropriated  one  of  them  on  which  was 
written,  *'  Larry  dear." 

She  had,  however,  no  intention  of  showing  it  to  Qav- 
ering  just  then,  but,  deciding  that  such  a  paper  might 

315 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

be  worth  a  good  many  dollars  to  the  person  who  knew 
how  to  make  use  of  it,  she  sHpped  it  into  her  pocket, 
and  went  out  into  the  hall,  where  she  saw  him  talking 
to  Torrance.  As  she  watched  they  shook  hands,  and 
Clavering  swung  himself  on  to  the  back  of  a  horse  some- 
body led  up  to  the  door.  It  was  two  or  three  weeks 
before  he  came  back  again,  and  was  led  straight  to  the 
room  where  Torrance  and  some  of  his  neighbours  were 
sitting.  Clavering  took  his  place  among  the  rest,  and 
watched  the  faces  that  showed  amidst  the  blue  cigar- 
smoke.  Some  were  intent  and  eager,  a  few  very  grim, 
but  the  stamp  of  care  was  on  all  of  them  save  that  of 
Torrance,  who  sat  immobile  and  expressionless  at  the 
head  of  the  table.  Allonby  was  speaking  somewhat 
dejectedly. 

**  It  seems  to  me  that  we  have  only  gone  round,''  he 
said.  "  It  has  cost  us  more  dollars  than  any  of  us  care 
to  reckon,  and  I  for  one  am  tolerably  near  the  end  of 
my  tether.'' 

"  So  are  the  homestead-boys.  We  can  last  them  out, 
and  we  have  got  to,"  said  somebody. 

Allonby  raised  his  hand  with  a  little  hopeless  gesture. 
"  I'm  not  quite  sure ;  but  what  I  want  to  show  you  is 
that  we  have  come  back  to  the  place  we  started  from. 
When  we  first  met  here  we  decided  that  it  was  advisable 
to  put  down  Larry  Grant,  and  though  we  have  not  ac- 
complished it  yet,  it  seems  to  me  more  necessary  than 
ever  just  now." 

"  I  don't  understand  you,"  said  one  of  the  younger 
men.  "  Larry's  boys  have  broken  loose  from  him,  and 
he  can't  worry  anybody  much  alone." 

Torrance  glanced  at  Allonby  with  a  sardonic  twinkle 
in  his  eyes.    "  That  sounds  very  like  sense,"  he  said. 

"  Well,"  said  Allonby  drily,  "  it  isn't,  and  I  think  you 

316 


CLAVERING'S  LAST  CARD 

know  it  at  least  as  well  as  I  do.  It  is  because  the  boys 
have  broken  out  we  want  to  get  our  thumb  on  Larry.'* 

There  was  a  little  murmur  of  bewilderment,  for  men 
were  present  that  night  who  had  not  attended  many^ 
meetings  of  the  district  committee. 

"  You  will  have  to  make  it  plainer,"  somebody  said. 

Allonby  glanced  at  Torrance,  who  nodded,  and  then 
went  on.  **  Now,  I  know  that  what  I  am  going  to  tell 
you  does  not  sound  nice,  and  a  year  ago  I  would  have 
had  unpleasant  thoughts  of  the  man  who  suggested  any 
course  of  that  kind  to  me ;  but  we  have  got  to  go  under 
or  pull  down  the  enemy.  The  legislature  are  beginning 
to  look  at  things  with  the  homesteaders'  eyes,  and  what 
we  want  is  popular  sympathy.  We  lost  a  good  chance 
of  getting  it  over  the  stock-train.  Larry  was  too  clever 
for  us  again,  and  that  brings  me  to  the  point  which 
should  be  quite  plain.  The  homestead-boys  have  lost 
their  heads  and  will  cut  their  own  throats  if  they  are 
let  alone.  They  are  ripe  for  ranch-burning  and  firing 
on  the  cavalry,  and  once  they  start  the  State  will  have 
to  step  in  and  whip  them  out  for  us." 

"  But  where  does  Larry  come  in  ?  "  asked  somebody. 

"  That,"  said  Clavering,  "  is  quite  easy.  So  long  as 
Larry  is  loose  he  will  have  a  following,  and  somehow 
he  will  hear  of  and  stop  their  wildest  moves.  As  most 
of  you  know,  I  don't  like  him;  but  Larry  is  not  a  fool." 

*'  To  be  quite  plain,  we  are  to  cut  out  the  restraining 
influence,  and  give  the  rabble  a  free  hand  to  let  loose 
anarchy,"  said  one  man.  "  Then,  you  can  strike  me 
off  the  roll.  That  is  a  kind  of  meanness  that  wouldn't 
suit  me ! " 

There  were  murmurs  of  approval  from  one  or  two  of 
the  company,  but  Torrance  checked  them.     '*  Gentle- 

Z^7 


THE   CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

men,"  he  said,  "  we  must  win  or  be  beaten  and  get  no 
mercy.  You  can't  draw  back,  and  the  first  step  is  to 
put  Larry  down.  If  the  State  had  backed  us  we  would 
have  made  an  end  of  the  trouble,  and  it  is  most  square 
and  fitting  they  should  have  the  whipping  of  the  rabble 
forced  upon  them  now.  Are  we  cavalry  troopers  or  a 
Sheriff's  posse,  to  do  their  work  for  them,  and  be  kicked 
by  way  of  thanks?  They  would  not  nip  the  trouble 
when  they  could,  and  we'll  sit  tight  and  watch  them  try 
to  crush  it  when  it's  'most  too  big  for  them." 

Again  there  was  a  murmur,  of  grim  approval  this 
time;  but  one  of  the  objectors  rose  with  an  ironical 
smile. 

.  "  You  have  made  a  very  poor  show  at  catching  Larry 
so  far,"  he  said.  "  Are  you  quite  sure  the  thing  is  within 
your  ability  ?  " 

"  I  guess  it  is,"  said  Xorrance  sharply.  "  He  is  living 
at  his  homestead,  and  we  need  not  be  afraid  of  a  hun- 
dred men  with  rifles  coming  to  take  him  from  us  now." 

"  He  has  a  few  neighbours  who  believe  in  him,"  one 
of  the  men  said.  "  They  are  not  rabble,  but  level-headed 
Americans,  with  the  hardest  kind  of  grit  in  them.  It 
wouldn't  suit  us  to  be  whipped  again." 

Clavering  stood  up,  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  Torrance. 
"  I  agree  with  our  leader — it  can  be  done.  In  fact,  I 
quite  believe  we  can  lay  our  hands  on  Larry  alone,"  he 
said.     "  Can  I  have  a  word  with  you,  Mr.  Torrance  ?  " 

Torrance  nodded,  and,  leaving  Allonby  speaking,  led 
Clavering  into  an  adjoining  room.  "  Sit  down,  and  get 
through  as  quick  as  you  can,"  he  said. 

For  five  minutes  Clavering  spoke  rapidly,  in  a  slightly 
strained  voice,  and  a  dark  flush  spread  across  the  old 
man's  face  and  grew  deeper  on  his  forehead,  from  which 
the  veins  swelled.     It  had  faded  before  he  finished,  and 

318 


GLAVERING'S  LAST  CARD 

there  were  paler  patches  in  the  cattle-baron's  cheeks 
when  he  struck  the  table  with  his  fist. 

"  Clavering/'  he  said  hoarsely,  "  if  you  are  deceiving 
me  you  are  not  going  to  find  a  hole  in  this  country  that 
would  hide  you." 

Clavering  contrived  to  meet  his  gaze,  though  it  was 
difficult.  "  I  was  very  unwilling  to  mention  it,"  he  said. 
"  Still,  if  you  will  call  Miss  Torrance's  maid,  and  the 
man  who  grooms  her  horses^  you  can  convince  yourself. 
It  would  be  better  if  I  was  not  present  when  you  talk 
to  them." 

Torrance  said  nothing,  but  pointed  to  the  door,  and 
when  the  maid  and  man  he  sent  for  had  gone,  sat  for 
five  long  minutes  rigidly  still  with  a  set  white  face  and 
his  hands  clenched  on  the  table. 

**  My  daughter — playing  the  traitress — and  worse ! 
It  is  too  hard  to  bear,"  he  said. 

Then  he  stood  up,  shaking  the  passion  from  him,  when 
Clavering  came  in,  and,  holding  himself  very  stiff  and 
square,  turned  to  him. 

"  I  don't  know  why  you  have  told  me — now — and  do 
not  want  to  hear,"  he  said.  "  Still,  by  the  Lord  who 
made  us  both,  if  you  try  to  make  use  of  this  knowledge 
for  any  purpose,  or  let  a  whisper  get  about.  Til  crush 
you  utterly." 

"  Have  I  deserved  these  threats,  sir  ?  " 

Torrance  looked  at  him  steadily.  **  Did  you  expect 
thanks?  The  man  who  grooms  her  horses  would  tell 
me  nothing — he  lied  like  a  gentleman.  But  they  are 
not  threats.  You  found  buying  up  mortgages — with  our 
dollars — an  easy  game." 

"  But — "  said  Clavering. 

Torrance  stopped  him  with  a  little  scornful  gesture. 
"  I  knew  when  I  took  this  thing  up  I  would  have  to  let 

319 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

my  scruples  go,  and  now — while  I  wonder  whether  my 
hands  will  ever  feel  clean  again — I'm  going  through. 
You  are  useful  to  the  committee,  and  I'll  have  to  tole- 
rate you/' 

Clavering  turned  away,  with  pulses  throbbing  furi- 
ously and  rage  in  his  heart,  though  he  had  known  what 
the  cost  would  be  when  he  staked  everything  he  hoped 
for  on  Larry's  destruction ;  while  his  neighbours  noticed 
a  change  in  Torrance  when  he  once  more  sat  down  at 
the  head  of  the  table.  He  seemed  several  years  older, 
and  his  face  was  very  grim. 

"  I  believe  I  can  promise  you  that  Larry  will  make  us 
no  more  trouble,"  he  said.  "  Mr.  Clavering  has  a  work- 
able scheme,  and  it  will  only  need  the  Sheriff  and  a 
few  men  whom  I  will  choose  when  I  am  ready.'* 

Nobody  seemed  to  consider  it  advisable  to  ask  ques- 
tions, and  the  men  dispersed;  but  as  they  went  down 
the  stairway,  AUonby  turned  to  Torrance. 

"  This  thing  is  getting  too  big  for  you  and  me,"  he 
said.  "  You  have  not  complained,  but  to-night  one  could 
fancy  that  it's  breaking  you.  Now,  I'm  not  made  like 
you,  and  when  I  think  of  what  it  has  cost  me  I  have 
got  to  talk." 

Torrance  turned,  and  AUonby  shivered  as  he  met  his 
eyes. 

*'  It  has  cost  me  what  every  dollar  I  ever  made  could 
not  buy  me  back,"  he  said,  and  the  damp  showed  on  his 
forehead  as  he  checked  a  groan. 


320 


XXVIII 

LARRY  RIDES  TO  CEDAR 

A  SOFT  Wind  swept  the  prairie,  which  was  now  bare 
of  snow.  Larry  rode  down  the  trail  that  led  through 
the  Cedar  Bluff.  He  was  freely  sprinkled  with  mire, 
for  spring  had  come  suddenly,  and  the  frost-bleached 
sod  was  soft  with  the  thaw;  and  when  he  pulled  up 
on  the  wooden  bridge  to  wait  until  Breckenridge,  who 
appeared  among  the  trees,  should  join  him,  the  river 
swirled  and  frothed  beneath.  It  had  lately  burst  its  icy 
chains,  and  came  roaring  down,  seamed  by  lines  of  foam 
and  strewn  with  great  fragments  of  half-melted  snow- 
cake  that  burst  against  the  quivering  piles. 

*' Running  strong! '*  said  Breckenridge.  **  Still,  the 
water  has  not  risen  much  yet,  and  as  I  crossed  the  big 
rise  I  saw  two  of  Torrance's  cow-boys  apparently  screw- 
ing up  their  courage  to  try  the  ford.'* 

**It  might  be  done,'*  said  Larry.  **We  have  one 
horse  at  Fremont  that  would  take  me  across.  The  snow 
on  the  ranges  is  not  melting  yet,  and  the  ice  will  be 
tolerably  firm  on  the  deep  reaches ;  but  it's  scarcely  likely 
that  we  will  want  to  swim  the  Cedar  now." 

**  No,"  said  Breckenridge,  with  a  laugh,  **the  bridge 
is  good  enough  for  me.  By  the  way,  I  have  a  note 
for  you." 

**  A  note !  "  said  Larry,  with  a  slight  hardening  of  his 
face,  for  of  late  each  communication  that  reached  him 
had  brought  him  fresh  anxieties. 

321 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  Well,"  said  Breckenridge  drily,  "  I  scarcely  think 
this  one  should  worry  you.  From  the  fashion  in  which 
it  reached  me  I  have  a  notion  it's  from  a  lady." 

There  was  a  little  gleam  in  Larry's  eyes  when  he  took 
the  note,  and  Breckenridge  noticed  that  he  was  very 
silent  as  they  rode  on.  When  they  reached  Fremont 
he  remained  a  while  in  the  stable,  and  when  at  last  he 
entered  the  house  Breckenridge  glanced  at  him  ques- 
tioningly. 

"  You  have  something  on  your  mind,"  he  said. 
"  What  have  you  been  doing,  Larry?  " 

Grant  smiled  curiously.  ''  Giving  the  big  bay  a  rub 
down.    I'm  riding  to  Cedar  Range  to-night." 

**  Have  you  lost  your  head?"  Breckenridge  stared 
at  him.  "  MuUer  saw  the  Sheriff  riding  in  this  morn- 
ing, and  it's  more  than  likely  he  is  at  the  Range.  You 
are  wanted  rather  more  badly  than  ever  just  now, 
Larry." 

Grant's  face  was  quietly  resolute  as  he  took  out  the 
note  and  passed  it  to  his  companion.  "  I  have  tried  to 
do  my  duty  by  the  boys;  but  I  am  going  to  Cedar  to- 
night." 

Breckenridge  opened  the  note,  which  had  been  writ- 
ten the  previous  day,  and  read,  "  In  haste.  Come  to 
the  bluff  beneath  the  Range — alone — ^nine  to-morrow 
night." 

Then,  he  stared  at  the  paper  in  silence  until  Grant, 
who  watched  him  almost  jealously,  took  it  from  him. 
"  Yes,"  he  said,  though  his  face  was  thoughtful,  "  of 
course,  you  must  go.  You  are  quite  sure  of  the 
writing?" 

Grant  smiled,  as  it  were,  compassionately.  "  I  would 
recognize  it  anywhere !  " 

"  Well,"  said  Breckenridge  significantly,  "  that  is  per- 

322 


LARRY  RIDES  TO  CEDAR 

haps  not  very  astonishing,  though  I  fancy  some  folks 
would  find  it  difficult.  The  *  In  haste  '  no  doubt  ex- 
plains the  thing,  but  it  seems  to  me  the  last  of  it  does 
not  quite  match  the  heading." 

"  It  is  smeared — thrust  into  the  envelope  wet/*  Larry 
said. 

Breckenridge  rose,  and  walked,  with  no  apparent  pur- 
pose, across  the  room.  "  Larry,''  he  said,  "  Tom  and 
I  will  come  with  you.  No — you  wait  a  minute.  Of 
course,  I  know  there  are  occasions  on  which  one's 
friends'  company  is  superfluous — distinctly  so;  but  we 
could  pull  up  and  wait  behind  the  bluff — quite  a  long 
way  off,  you  know." 

''  I  was  told  to  come  alone."  Larry  turned  upon  him 
sharply. 

Breckenridge  made  a  gesture  of  resignation.  "  Then 
I'm  not  going  to  stay  here  most  of  the  night  by  myself. 
It's  doleful.    I'll  ride  over  to  Muller's  now." 

"  Will  it  be  any  livelier  there  ?  " 

Breckenridge  wondered  whether  Larry  had  noticed 
anything  unusual  in  his  voice,  and  managed  to  laugh. 
"  A  little,"  he  said.  "  The  fraulein  is  pretty  enough  in 
the  lamplight  to  warrant  one  listening  to  a  good  deal 
about  Menotti  and  the  franc  tireurs.  She  makes  really 
excellent  coffee,  too,"  and  he  slipped  out  before  Grant 
could  ask  any  more  questions. 

Darkness  was  just  closing  down  when  the  latter  rode 
away.  There  was  very  little  of  the  prairie  broncho  in 
the  big  horse  beneath  him,  whose  sire  had  brought  the 
best  blood  that  could  be  imported  into  that  country,  and 
he  had  examined  every  buckle  of  girth  and  headstall  as 
he  fastened  them.  He  also  rode,  for  lightness,  in  a 
thin  deerskin  jacket  which  fitted  him  closely,  with  a 
rifle  across  his  saddle,  gazing  with  keen  eyes  across  the 

323 


THE  GATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

shadowy  waste  when  now  and  then  a  half-moon  came 
out.  Once  he  also  drew  bridle  and  sat  still  a  minute 
listening,  for  he  fancied  he  heard  the  distant  beat  of 
hoofs,  and  then  went  on  with  a  little  laugh  at  his  credu- 
lity. The  Cedar  was  roaring  in  its  hollow  and  the 
birches  moaning  in  a  bluff,  but  as  the  damp  wind  that 
brought  the  blood  to  his  cheeks  sank,  there  was  stillness 
save  for  the  sound  of  the  river,  and  Grant  decided  that 
his  ears  had  deceived  him. 

It  behooved  him  to  be  cautious,  for  he  knew  the  bit- 
terness of  the  cattle-men  against  him,  and  the  Sheriff's 
writ  still  held  good ;  but  Hetty  had  sent  for  him,  and  if 
his  enemies  had  lain  in  wait  in  every  bluff  and  hollow 
he  would  have  gone. 

While  he  rode,  troubled  by  vague  apprehensions, 
which  now  and  then  gave  place  to  exultation  that  set 
his  heart  throbbing,  Hetty  sat  with  Miss  Schuyler  in  her 
room  at  Cedar  Range.  An  occasional  murmur  of  voices 
reached  them  faintly  from  the  big  hall  below  where 
Torrance  and  some  of  his  neighbours  sat  with  the  Sheriff 
over  their  cigars  and  wine,  and  the  girls  knew  that  a 
few  of  the  most  daring  horsemen  among  the  cow-boys 
had  their  horses  saddled  ready.  Hetty  lay  in  a  low 
chair  with  a  book  she  was  not  reading  on  her  knee,  and 
Miss  Schuyler,  glancing  at  her  now  and  then  over  the 
embroidery  she  paid  almost  as  little  attention  to,  noticed 
the  weariness  in  her  face  and  the  anxiety  in  her  eyes. 
She  laid  down  her  needle  when  Torrance's  voice  came 
up  from  below. 

"What  can  they  be  plotting,  Hetty?"  she  said. 
"Horses  ready,  that  most  unpleasant  Sheriff  smiling 
cunningly  as  he  did  when  I  passed  him  talking  to  Clav- 
ering,  and  the  sense  of  expectancy.  It's  there.  One 
could  hear  it  in  their  voices,  even  if  one  had  not  seen 
their  faces,  and  w^hen  I  met  your  father  at  the  head  of 

324 


LARRY  RIDES  TO  CEDAR 

the  stairs  he  almost  frightened  me.  Of  course,  he  was 
not  theatrical — he  never  is — ^but  I  know  that  set  of  his 
lips  and  look  in  his  eyes,  and  have  more  than  a  fancy 
it  means  trouble  for  somebody.  I  suppose  he  has  not 
told  you  anything — in  fact,  he  seems  to  have  kept  curi- 
ously aloof  from  both  of  us  lately.'' 

Hetty  turned  towards  her  with  a  little  spot  of  colour 
in  her  cheek  and  apprehension  in  her  eyes. 

"  So  you  have  noticed  it,  too! "  she  said  very  slowly. 
"  Of  course,  he  has  been  busy  and  often  away,  while 
I  know  how  anxious  he  must  be ;  but  when  he  is  at  home 
he  scarcely  speaks  to  me — and  then,  there  is  something 
in  his  voice  that  hurts  me.  I'm  'most  afraid  he  has  found 
out  that  I  have  been  talking  to  Larry." 

Miss  Schuyler  smiled.  "  Well,"  she  said,  "  that — 
alone — would  not  be  such  a  very  serious  offence." 

The  crimson  showed  plainer  in  Hetty's  cheek  and 
there  was  a  faint  ring  in  her  voice.  '*  Flo,"  she  said, 
"  don't  make  me  angry — I  can't  bear  it  to-night.  Some- 
thing is  going  to  happen — I  can  feel  it  is — and  you  don't 
know  my  father  even  yet.  He  is  so  horribly  quiet,  and 
I'm  afraid  of  as  well  as  sorry  for  him.  It  is  a  long 
while  ago,  but  he  looked  just  as  he  does  now — only  not 
quite  so  grim — during  my  mother's  last  illness.  Oh,  I 
know  there  is  something  worrying  him,  and  he  will  not 
tell  me — though  he  was  always  kind  before,  even  when 
he  was  angry.  Flo,  this  horrible  trouble  can't  go  on^ 
for  ever ! " 

Hetty  had  commenced  bravely,  but  she  faltered  as  she 
proceeded,  and  Miss  Schuyler,  who  saw  her  distress, 
had  risen  and  was  standing  with  one  hand  on  her  shoul- 
der when  the  maid  came  in.  She  cast  a  hasty  glance 
at  her  mistress,  and  appeared.  Flora  Schuyler  fancied, 
embarrassed,  and  desirous  of  concealing  it. 

325 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  Mr.  Torrance  will  excuse  you  coming  down  again/^ 
she  said.  **  He  may  have  some  of  the  Sheriff's  men  and 
one  or  two  of  the  cow-boys  in,  and  would  sooner  you 
kept  your  room.  Are  you  likely  to  want  me  in  the  next 
half-hour?" 

"  No/'  said  Hetty.  **  No  doubt  you  are  anxious  to 
find  out  what  is  going  on." 

The  maid  went  out,  and  Miss  Schuyler  fixed  anxious 
eyes  on  her  companion.  ^^  What  is  the  matter  with  the 
girl,  Hetty  ?  "  she  asked. 

*' I  don't  know.     Did  you  notice  anything?" 

"  Yes.  I  think  she  had  something  on  her  mind.  Any 
way,  she  was  unexplainably  anxious  to  get  away  from 
you." 

Hetty  smiled  somewhat  bitterly.  "  Then  she  is  only 
like  the  rest.  Everybody  at  Cedar  is  anxious  about 
something  now." 

Flora  Schuyler  rose,  and,  flinging  the  curtains  behind 
her,  looked  out  at  the  night.  The  moon  was  just  show- 
ing through  a  rift  in  the  driving  cloud,  and  she  could 
see  the  bluff  roll  blackly  down  to  the  white  frothing 
of  the  river.  She  also  saw  a  shadowy  object  slipping 
through  the  gloom  of  the  trees,  and  fancied  it  was  a 
woman;  but  when  another  figure  appeared  for  a  mo- 
ment in  the  moonlight  the  first  one  came  flitting  back 
again. 

**  I  believe  the  girl  has  gone  out  to  meet  somebody 
in  the  bluff,"  she  said. 

'     Hetty  made  a  little  impatient  gesture.     "  It  doesn't 
concern  us,  any  way." 

Miss  Schuyler  sat  down  again  and  made  no  answer, 
though  she  had  misgivings,  and  five  or  ten  minutes 
passed  silently,  until  there  was  a  tapping  at  the  door, 
and  the  maid  came  in,  very  white  in  the  face.     She 

326 


LARRY  RIDES  TO  CEDAR 

Clutched  at  the  nearest  chair-back,  And  stood  still,  ap- 
parently incapable  of  speech^  until,  with  a  visible  effort, 
she  said :  *'  Somebody  must  go  and  send  him  away.  He 
is  waiting  in  the  bluff/' 

Hetty  rose  with  a  little  scream,  but  Flora  Schuyler 
was  before  her,  and  laid  her  hand  upon  the  maid's  arm. 

*'  Now,  try  to  be  sensible,"  she  said  sternly.  *'  Who 
i  is  in  the  bluff?" 

The  girl  shivered.  *'  It  is  not  my  fault — I  didn't 
know  what  they  wanted  until  the  Sheriff  came.  I  tried 
to  tell  him,  but  Joe  saw  me.  Go  right  now,  and  send 
him  away." 

Hetty  was  very  white  and  trembling,  but  Flora  Schuy- 
ler nipped  the  maid's  arm. 

"  Keep  quiet,  and  answer  just  what  we  ask  you !  "  she 
said.     "Who  is  in  the  bluff?" 

"  Mr.  Grant,"  said  the  girl,  with  a  gasp.  "  But  don't 
ask  me  anything.  Send  him  away.  They'll  kill  him. 
Oh,  you  are  hurting  me !  " 

Flora  Schuyler  shook  her.  "  How  did  he  come 
there?" 

*'  I  took  Miss  Torrance's  letter,  and  wrote  the  rest 
of  it.  I  didn't  know  they  meant  to  do  him  any  harm, 
but  they  made  me  write.  I  had  to — he  said  he  would 
marry  me." 

The  maid  writhed  in  an  agony  of  fear,  but  she  stood 
still  shivering  when  Hetty  turned  towards  her  with  a 
blanched  face  that  emphasized  the  ominous  glow  in  her 
dark  eyes. 

"  You  wicked  woman !  "  she  said.  "  How  dare  you 
tell  me  that?" 

"  I  mean  Mr.  Clavering.    Oh !  " 

The  maid  stopped  abruptly,  for  Flora  Schuyler  drove 

327 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

her  towards  the  door.     "  Go  and  undo  your  work,"  she 
said.    "  Slip  down  at  the  back  of  the  bluff." 

"  I  daren't — I  tried,"  and  the  girl  quivered  in  Miss 
Schuyler's  grasp.  "  If  I  could  have  warned  him  I  would 
not  have  told  you;  but  Joe  saw  me,  and  I  was  afraid. 
I  told  him  to  come  at  nine."  . 

It  was  evident  that  she  was  capable  of  doing  very  < 
little  just  then,  and  Flora  Schuyler  drew  her  out  into 
the  corridor. 

"  Go  straight  to  your  room  and  stay  there,"  she  said, 
and  closing  the  door,  glanced  at  Hetty.  "  It  is  quite 
simple.  This  woman  has  taken  your  note-paper  and 
written  Larry.  He  is  in  the  bluff  now,  and  I  think  she 
is  right.  Your  friends  mean  to  make  him  prisoner  or 
shoot  him." 

"  Stop,  and  go  away,"  said  Hetty  hoarsely.  *'  I  am 
going  to  him." 

Flora  Schuyler  placed  her  back  to  the  door,  and  raised 
her  hand.  **  No,"  she  said,  very  quietly.  **  It  would  be 
better  if  I  went  in  place  of  you.  Sit  down,  and  don't 
lose  your  head,  Hetty!  " 

Hetty  seized  her  arm.  "  You  can't — how  could  I  let 
you  ?  Larry  belongs  to  me.  Let  me  go.  Every  minute 
is  worth  ever  so  much." 

**  There  are  twenty  of  them  yet.  He  has  come  too 
early,"  said  Flora  Schuyler,  with  a  glance  at  the  clock. 
"  Any  way,  you  must  understand  what  you  are  going  to 
do.  It  was  Clavering  arranged  this,  but  your  father  knew 
what  he  was  doing  and  I  think  he  knows  everything. 
If  you  leave  this  house  to-night,  Hetty,  everybody  will 
know  you  warned  Larry,  and  it  will  make  a  great  dif- 
ference to  you.  It  will  gain  you  the  dislike  of  all  your 
friends  and  place  a  barrier  between  you  and  your  father 
which,  I  think,  will  never  be  taken  away  again!'' 

328 


LARRY  RIDES  TO  CEDAR 

Hetty  laughed  a  very  bitter  laugh,  and  then  grew 
suddenly  quiet. 

"  Stand  aside,  Flo,"  she  said.  "  Nobody  but  Larry 
wants  me  now." 

Miss  Schuyler  saw  that  she  was  determined,  and  drew 
aside.  "Then,"  she  said,  with  a  little  quiver  in  her 
voice,  "  because  I  think  he  is  in  peril  you  must  go,  my 
dear.  But  we  must  be  very  careful,  and  I  am  coming 
with  you  as  far  as  I  dare." 

She  closed  the  door,  and  then  her  composure  seemed 
to  fail  her  as  they  went  out  into  the  corridor ;  and  it  was 
Hetty  who,  treading  very  softly,  took  the  lead.  Flitting 
like  shadows,  they  reached  the  head  of  the  stairway, 
and  stopped  a  moment  there,  Hetty's  heart  beating  furi- 
ously. The  passage  beneath  them  was  shadowy,  but  a 
blaze  of  light  and  a  jingle  of  glasses  came  out  of  the 
half-opened  door  of  the  hall,  where  Torrance  sat  with 
his  guests;  and  while  they  waited,  they  heard  his  voice 
and  recognized  the  vindictive  ring  in  it.  Hetty  trembled 
as  she  grasped  the  bannister. 

"  Flo,"  she  said,  **  they  may  come  out  in  a  minute. 
We  have  got  to  slip  by  somehow." 

They  went  down  the  stairway  with  skirts  drawn  close 
about  them,  in  swift  silence,  and  Hetty  held  her  breath 
as  she  flitted  past  the  door.  There  was  a  faint  swish  of 
draperies  as  Flora  Schuyler  followed  her,  but  the  mur- 
mur of  voices  drowned  it ;  and  in  another  minute  Hetty 
had  opened  a  door  at  the  back  of  the  building.  Then, 
she  gasped  with  relief  as  she  felt  the  cold  wind  on  her 
face,  and,  with  Miss  Schuyler  close  behind  her,  crept 
through  the  shadow  of  the  house  towards  the  bluff. 
When  the  gloom  of  the  trees  closed  about  them,  she 
clutched  her  companion's  shoulder. 

"  No,"   she   said  hoarsely,   *'  not  that  way.     Joe   is^ 

329 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

watching  there.  We  must  go  right  through  the  bluff 
and  down  the  opposite  side  of  it." 

They  floundered  forward,  sinking  ankle-deep  in  with- 
ered leaves  and  clammy  mould,  tripping  over  rotting 
branches  that  ripped  their  dresses,  and  stumbling  into 
dripping  undergrowth.  There  was  no  moon  now,  and 
it  was  very  dark,  and  more  than  once  Flora  Schuyler 
valiantly  suppressed  the  scream  that  would  have  been 
a  vast  relief  to  her,  and  struggled  on  as  silently  as  she 
could  behind  her  companion;  but  it  seemed  to  her  that 
anybody  a  mile  away  could  have  heard  them.  Then,  a 
little  trail  led  them  out  of  the  bluff  on  the  opposite  side 
to  the  house,  and  the  roar  of  the  river  grew  louder  as 
they  hastened  on,  still  in  the  gloom  of  the  trees,  until 
something  a  little  blacker  than  the  shadows  behind  it 
grew  into  visibility;  and  when  it  moved  a  little,  Flora 
Schuyler  touched  Hetty's  arm. 

"  ,Yes,''  she  said.  '*  It  is  Larry.  If  I  didn't  know  the 
kind  of  man  he  is,  I  would  not  let  you  go.  Kiss  me, 
Hetty." 

Hetty  stood  still  a  second,  for  she  understood,  and 
then  very  quietly  put  both  hands  on  Flora  Schuyler's 
shoulders  and  kissed  her. 

"  It  can't  be  very  wrong;  and  you  have  been  a  good 
friend,  Flo,"  she  said. 

She  turned,  and  Flora  Schuyler,  standing  still,  saw 
her  slim  figure  flit  across  a  strip  of  frost-bleached  sod 
^  as  the  moon  shone  through. 


330 


XXIX 

HETTY  DECIDES 

It  was  in  a  pale  flash  of  silvery  light  that  Larry  saw 
the  girl  against  the  gloom  of  the  trees.  The  moaning 
of  the  birches  and  roar  of  the  river  drowned  the  faint 
sound  her  footsteps  made,  and  she  came  upon  him  so 
suddenly,  statuesque  and  slender  in  her  trailing  even- 
ing dress  and  etherealized  by  the  moonlight,  that  as  he 
looked  down  on  the  blanched  whiteness  of  her  upturned 
face,  emphasized  by  the  dusky  hair,  he  almost  fancied 
she  had  materialized  out  of  the  harmonies  of  the  night. 
For  a  moment  he  sat  motionless,  with  the  rifle  glinting 
across  his  saddle,  and  a  tightening  grip  of  the  bridle 
as  the  big  horse  flung  up  its  head,  and  then,  with  a 
sudden  stirring  of  his  blood,  moved  his  foot  in  the  stir- 
rup and  would  have  swung  himself  down  if  Hetty  had 
not  checked  him. 

"  No ! "  she  said.  "  Back  into  the  shadow  of  the 
trees!" 

Larry,  seeing  the  fear  in  her  face,  touched  the  horse 
with  his  heel,  and  wheeled  it  with  its  head  towards  the 
house.  He  could  see  the  warm  gleam  from  the  win- 
dows between  the  birches.  Then,  he  turned  to  the  girl^ 
who  stood  gasping  at  his  stirrup. 

"  You  sent  for  me,  dear,  and  I  have  come.  Can't 
you  give  me  just  a  minute  now?"  he  said. 

"  No,"  said  Hetty  breathlessly,  ^'  you  must  go.  The 
Sheriff  is  here  waiting  for  you !  " 

331 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Larry  laughed  a  little  scornful  laugh,  and  slackening 
the  bridle,  sat  still,  looking  down  on  her  very  quietly. 

**  I  don't  understand,''  he  said.    "  You  sent  for  me !  " 

"  No,"  the  girl  again  gasped.  **  Oh,  Larry,  go  away ! 
Clavering  and  the  others  who  are  most  bitter  against 
you  are  in  the  house." 

Instinctively  Larry  moved  his  hand  on  the  rifle  and 
glanced  towards  the  building.  He  could  see  it  dimly, 
but  no  sound  from  it  reached  him,  and  Hetty,  looking 
up,  saw^  his  face  grow  stern. 

"  Still,"  he  persisted,  with  a  curious  quietness,  "  some- 
body sent  a  note  to  me !  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Hetty,  turning  away  from  him,  ^*  it  was 
my  wicked  maid.     Clavering  laid  the  trap  for  you." 

The  man  sat  very  still  a  moment^  and  then  bent  with 
a  swift  resoluteness  tow^ards  his  companion. 

"  And  you  came  to  warn  me  ?  "  he  said.  ''  Hetty, 
dear,  look  up." 

Hetty  glanced  at  him  and  saw  the  glow  in  his  eyes, 
but  she  clenched  her  hand,  and  would  have  struck  the 
horse  in  an  agony  of  fear  if  Larry  had  not  touched  him 
with  his  heel  and  swung  a  pace  away  from  her. 

''  Gh,"  she  gasped,  **  why  will  you  waste  time !  Larry, 
they  will  kill  you  if  they  find  you." 

Once  more  the  little  scornful  smile  showed  upon 
Grant's  lips,  but  it  vanished  and  Hetty  saw  only  the 
light  in  his  eyes. 

"  Listen  a  moment,  dear,"  he  said.  '^  I  have  tried  to 
do  the  square  thing,  but  I  think  to-night's  work  relieves 
me  of  the  obligation.  Hetty,  can't  you  see  that  your 
father  would  never  give  you  to  me,  and  you  must  choose 
between  us  sooner  or  later?  I  have  waited  a  long  while, 
and  would  try  to  wait  longer  if  it  would  relieve  you  of 
the  difficulty,  but  you  will  have  to  make  the  decision, 

332 


HETTY  DECIDES 

and  it  can't  be  harder  now  than  it  would  be  in  the  future. 
Promise  me  you  will  go  back  to  New  York  with  Miss 
Schuyler,  and  stay  with  her  until  I  come  for  you." 

Hetty  trembled  visibly,  and  the  moonlight  showed  the 
crimson  in  her  cheeks ;  but  she  looked  up  at  him  bravely. 
**  Larry,"  she  said,  "  you  are  sure — quite  sure — you 
want  me,  and  will  be  kind  to  me  ?  " 

The  man  bent  his  head  solemnly.  "  My  dear,  I  have 
longed  for  you  for  eight  weary  years — and  I  think  you 
could  trust  me." 

"  Then,"  and  Hetty's  voice  was  very  uneven,  though 
she  still  met  his  eyes.    "  Larry,  you  can  take  me  now.'^ 

Larry  set  his  lips  for  a  moment  and  his  face  showed 
curiously  white.  "  Think,  my  dear !  "  he  said  hoarsely, 
"  It  would  not  be  fair  to  you.  Miss  Schuyler  will  take 
you  away  in  a  week  or  two,  and  I  will  come  for  you. 
I  dare  not  do  anything  you  may  be  sorry  for;  and  they 
may  find  you  are  not  in  the  house.  You  must  go  home 
before  my  strength  gives  way." 

The  emotion  she  had  struggled  with  swept  Hetty 
away.  "  Go  home !  "  she  said  passionately.  **  They 
wanted  to  kill  you — and  I  can  never  go  back  now.  If 
I  did,  they  would  know  I  had  warned  you — and  be- 
lieve—     Can't  you  understand,  Larry?" 

Then,  the  situation  flashed  upon  Grant,  and  he  recog- 
nized, as  Hetty  had  done,  that  she  had  cast  herself  adrift 
when  she  left  the  house  to  warn  him.  He  knew  the 
cattle-baron's  vindictiveness,  and  that  his  daughter  had 
committed  an  offence  he  could  not  forgive.  That  left 
but  one  escape  from  the  difficulty,  and  it  was  the  one 
his  own  passions,  which  he  had  striven  to  crush  down, 
urged  him  to. 

"  Then,"  he  said  in  a  strained  voice,  "  you  must  come 
with  me.    We  can  be  married  to-morrow." 

333 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Hetty  held  up  her  hands  to  him.  "  I  am  ready.  Oh, 
be  quick.     They  may  come  any  minute ! " 

Larry  swept  his  glance  towards  the  house,  and  saw 
a  shaft  of  radiance  stream  out  as  the  great  door  opened. 
Then,  he  heard  Flora  Schuyler's  voice,  and,  leaning 
downwards  from  the  saddle,  grasped  both  the  girl's 
hands. 

t  "  Yes,"  he  said,  very  quietly,  "  they  are  coming  now. 
Spring  when  I  lift  you.  Your  foot  on  my  foot — I  have 
you!" 

It  was  done.  Hetty  was  active  and  slender,  the  man 
muscular,  and  both  had  been  taught,  not  only  to  ride, 
but  master  the  half-wild  broncho  by  a  superior  daring 
and  an  equal  agility,  in  a  land  where  the  horse  is  not 
infrequently  roped  and  thrown  before  it  is  mounted. 
But  Larry  breathed  hard  as,  with  his  arm  about  her 
waist,  he  held  the  girl  in  front  of  him,  and  felt  her  cheek 
hot  against  his  lips.  The  next  moment  he  pressed  his 
heels  home  and  the  big  horse  swung  forward  under  its 
double  burden. 

A  shout  rang  out  behind  them,  and  there  was  a  crack- 
ling in  the  bluff.  Then,  a  rifle  flashed,  and  just  as  a 
cloud  drove  across  the  moon,  another  cry  rose  up : 

"  Quit  firing.    He  has  the  girl  with  him !  " 

Larry  fancied  he  could  hear  men  floundering  behind 
him  amidst  the  trees,  and  a  trampling  of  hoofs  about 
the  house,  but  as  he  listened  another  rifle  flashed  away 
to  the  right  of  them  on  the  prairie,  and  a  beat  of  hoofs 
followed  it  that  for  a  moment  puzzled  him.  He  laughed 
huskily. 

"  Breckenridge !  He'll  draw  them  off,"  he  said. 
"  Hold  fast !    We  have  got  to  face  the  river." 

It  was  very  evident  that  he  had  not  a  second  to  lose. 
Mounted  men  were  crashing  recklessly  through  the  bluff 

334 


HETTY  DECIDES 

and  more  of  them  riding  at  a  gallop  across  the  grassy 
slope ;  but  the  darkness  hid  them  as  it  hid  the  fugitives, 
and  the  big  horse  held  on,  until  there  was  a  plunge  and 
a  splashing,  and  they  were  in  the  river.  Larry  slipped 
from  the  saddle,  and  Hetty  saw  him  floundering  by  the 
horse's  head  as  she  thrust  her  foot  into  the  stirrup. 

"  Slack  your  bridle,"  he  said  sharply.  *'  The  beast 
will  bring  us  through." 

The  command  came  when  it  was  needed,  for  Hetty 
was  almost  dismayed,  and  its  curtness  was  bracing. 
There  was  no  moon  now,  but  she  could  dimly  see  the 
white  swirling  of  the  flood,  and  the  gurgling  roar  of  it 
throbbed  about  her  hoarse  and  threatening,  suggesting 
the  perils  the  darkness  hid.  Her  light  skirt  trailed  in 
the  water,  and  a  shock  of  icy  cold  ran  through  her  as 
one  shoe  dipped  under.  Larry  was  on  his  feet  yet,  but 
there  was  a  fierce  white  frothing  about  him,  and  when 
in  another  pace  or  two  he  slipped  down  she  broke  into 
a  stifled  scream.  The  next  moment  she  saw  his  face 
again  faintly  white  beneath  her  amidst  the  sliding  foam, 
and  fancied  that  he  was  swimming  or  being  dragged 
along.  The  horse,  she  felt,  had  lost  its  footing,  and 
had  its  head  up  stream.  How  long  this  lasted  she  did 
not  know,  but  it  seemed  an  interminable  time,  and  the 
dull  roar  of  the  water  grew  louder  and  deafened  her, 
while  the  blackness  that  closed  in  became  insupportable. 

"Larry!"  she  gasped.    "Larry,  are  you  there!" 

A  faintly  heard  voice  made  answer,  and  Grant  ap- 
peared again,  shoulder-deep  in  the  flood,  while  the 
slipping  and  floundering  of  the  beast  beneath  her  showed 
that  the  hoofs  had  found  uncertain  hold ;  but  that  relief 
only  lasted  a  moment,  and  they  were  once  more  sliding 
down-stream,  until,  when  they  swung  round  in  an  eddy, 
the  head  that  showed  now  and  then  dimly  beside  her 

335 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

stirrup  was  lost  altogether,  and  in  an  agony  of  tefror  the 
girl  cried  aloud. 

There  was  no  answer,  but  after  a  horrible  moment 
or  two  had  passed  a  half-seen  arm  and  shoulder  rose 
out  of  the  flood,  and  the  sudden  drag  on  the  bridle  that 
slipped  from  her  fingers  was  very  reassuring.  The 
horse  plunged  and  floundered,  and  once  more  Hetty  felt 
her  dragging  skirt  was  clear  of  the  water. 

"  Through  the  worst ! "  a  voice  that  reached  her 
faintly  said,  and  they  were  splashing  on  again,  the 
water  growing  shallower  all  the  time  until  they  scram- 
bled out  upon  the  opposite  bank.  Then,  the  man  check- 
ing the  horse,  stood  by  her  stirrup,  pressing  the  water 
from  the  hem  of  her  skirt,  rubbing  the  little  open  shoe 
with  his  handkerchief,  which  was  saturated.  Even  in 
that  hour  of  horror  Hetty  laughed. 

"  Larry,'*  she  said,  ^*  don't  be  ridiculous.  You  couldn't 
dry  it  that  way  in  a  week.     Lift  me  down  instead." 

Larry  held  up  his  hands  to  her,  for  on  that  side  of 
the  river  the  slope  to  the  level  was  steep,  and  when  he 
swung  her  down  the  girl  kissed  him  lightly  on  either 
cheek. 

"  That  was  because  of  what  we  have  been  through, 
dear,"  she  said.  "  There  was  a  horrible  moment,  when 
I  could  not  see  you  anywhere." 

She  stopped  and  held  up  her  hand  as  though  listen- 
ing, and  Larry  laughed  softly  as  a  faint  drumming  of 
hoofs  came  back  to  them  through  the  roar  of  the  flood. 

"  Breckenridge !  He  must  have  MuUer  or  somebody 
with  him,  and  they  are  chasing  him,"  he  said.  "  I  didn't 
know  he  was  following  me,  but  he  is  gaining  us  valu- 
able time,  and  we  will  push  on  again.  Your  friends  will 
find  out  they  are  following  the  wrong  man  very  soon, 
"but  we  should  get  another  horse  at  Muller's  before  they 
can  ride  round  by  the  bridge." 

336 


HETTY  DECIDES 

They  scrambled  up  the  slope,  and  after  Hetty  mounted 
tarry  ran  with  his  hand  on  the  stirrup  for  a  while,  until 
once  more  he  made  the  staunch  beast  carry  a  double  load. 
He  was  running  again  when  they  came  clattering  up 
to  Muller's  homestead  and  the  fraulein,  who  was  ap- 
parently alone,  stared  at  them  in  astonishment  when  she 
opened  the  door.  The  water  still  dripped  from  Larry, 
and  Hetty's  light,  bedraggled  dress  clung  about  her, 
while  the  moisture  trickled  from  her  little  open-fronted 
shoes.  She  was  hatless,  and  loosened  wisps  of  dusky 
hair  hung  low  about  her  face,  which  turned  faintly  crim- 
son under  the  fraulein's  gaze. 

"  Miss  Torrance ! ''  exclaimed  the  girl. 

*^  Well,"  said  Larry  quietly,  **  she  will  be  Mrs.  Grant 
to-morrow  if  you  will  lend  me  a  horse  and  not  mention 
the  fact  that  you  have  seen  us  when  Torrance's  boys 
come  round.    Where  is  your  father  ? '' 

Miss  Muller  nodded  with  comprehending  sympathy. 
"He  two  hours  since  with  Mr.  Breckenridge  go,'' 
she  said.  "  There  is  new  horse  in  the  stable,  and  you 
on  the  rack  a  saddle  for  lady  find." 

Larry  was  outside  in  a  moment,  and  a  smile  crept  into 
the  fraulein's  blue  eyes.  "  He  is  of  the  one  thing  at 
the  time  alone  enabled  to  think,"  she  said.  ^'  It  is  so 
with  the  man,  but  a  dress  with  the  water  soaked  is  not 
convenient  to  ride  at  night  in." 

She  led  Hetty  into  her  own  room,  and  when  Larry, 
who  had  spent  some  time  changing  one  of  the  saddles, 
came  back,  he  stared  in  astonishment  at  Hetty,  who  sat 
at  the  table.  She  now  wore,  among  other  garments 
that  were  too  big  for  her,  a  fur  cap  and  coarse,  serge 
skirt.  There  was  a  steaming  cup  of  coffee  in  front 
of  her. 

"  Now,  that  shows  how  foolish  one  can  be,"  he  said. 

337 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

*'  I  was  clean  forgetting  about  the  clothes ;  but  we  must 
start  again." 

Hetty  rose  up,  and  with  a  little  blush  held  out  the 
cup.  "  You  are  wet  to  the  neck,  Larry,  and  it  will  do 
you  good,"  she  said.  "  If  you  don't  mind — we  needn't 
wait  until  Miss  Muller  gets  another  cup." 

Larry's  eyes  gleamed.  **  I  have  run  over  most  of 
Europe,  but  they  grow  no  wine  there  that  was  half  as 
nice  as  the  tea  we  made  in  the  black  can  back  there  in 
the  bluff.  Quite  often  in  those  days  we  hadn't  a  cup 
at  all," 

He  drank,  and  forthwith  turned  his  head  away,  while 
a  quiver  seemed  to  run  through  him;  but  when  Hetty 
moved  towards  him  the  fraulein  laughed. 

"  It  nothing  is,"  she  said.  "  It  is,  perhaps,  the  effect 
tobacco  have,  but  the  mouth  is  soft  in  a  man." 

Then,  as  Larry  turned  towards  them  she  laid  her 
hands  on  Hetty's  shoulders,  and  kissed  her  gravely. 
"  You  have  trust  in  him,"  she  said.  '*  It  is  of  no  use 
afraid  to  be.  I  quick  take  a  man  like  Mr.  Grant  when 
he  ask  me." 

The  next  moment  they  were  outside,  and  when  he 
helped  her  to  the  saddle,  Hetty  glanced  shyly  at  her 
companion.  "  The  fraulein  is  right,"  she  said.  "  But, 
Larry,  will  you  tell  me — where  we  are  going?  " 

"  To  Windsor.  I  have  still  good  friends  there.  That 
is  the  prosaic  fact,  but  there  is  ever  so  much  behind  it. 
We  can't  see  the  trail  just  now,  dear,  but  we  are  riding 
out  into  the  future  that  has  all  kinds  of  brightness  in 
store." 

A  silvery  gleam  fell  on  the  girl  as  a  billow  of  cloud 
rolled  slowly  from  a  rift  of  blue,  and  she  laughed  al- 
most exultantly. 

"  Larry,"  she  said,  "  it  is  coming  true.     Of  course, 

338 


HETTY  DECIDES 

it's  a  portent.  There's  the  darkness  going  and  the  moon 
shining  through.  Oh,  I  have  done  with  misgiving 
now ! " 

She  shook  the  bridle,  and  swept  from  him  at  a  gallop, 
and  the  thaw-softened  sod  was  whirling  in  clods  behind 
them  when  Larry  drew  level  with  her.  He  knew  it 
was  not  prudent,  but  the  fever  in  his  blood  mastered  his 
reason,  and  he  sent  the  stockrider's  cry  ringing  across 
the  levels  as  they  sped  on  through  the  night.  The  damp 
wind  screamed  by  them,  lashing  their  hot  cheeks,  the 
beat  of  hoofs  swelled  into  a  roar  as  they  swept  through 
a  shadowy  bluff,  and  driving  cloud  and  rift  of  indigo 
flitted  past  above.  Beneath,  the  long,  frost-bleached 
levels,  gleaming  silvery  grey  now  under  the  moon, 
flitted  back  to  the  drumming  hoofs,  while  willow  clump 
and  straggling  birches  rose  up,  and  rushed  by,  blurred 
and  shadowy. 

They  were  young,  and  the  cares  that  must  be  faced 
again  on  the  morrow  had,  for  a  brief  space,  fallen  from 
them.  They  had  bent  to  the  strain  to  the  breaking 
point,  and  now  it  had  gone,  everything  was  forgotten 
but  the  love  each  bore  the  other.  All  senses  were 
merged  in  it,  and  while  the  exaltation  lasted  there  was 
no  room  for  thought  or  fear.  It  was,  however,  the  man 
who  remembered  first,  for  a  few  dark  patches  caught 
his  eye  when  they  went  at  a  headlong  gallop  down  the 
slope. 

"  Pull  him ! "  he  cried  hoarsely.  "  'Ware  badger 
holes !    Swing  to  the  right- wide !  " 

The  girl  swerved,  but  she  still  held  on  with  loose 
bridle,  until  Larry,  swaying  in  his  saddle,  clutched  at 
it.  Then,  as  he  swung  upright,  half  a  length  ahead, 
mth  empty  hands,  she  flung  herself  a  trifle  backwards 

339 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

and  there  was  a  brief  struggle ;  but  it  was  at  a  trot  they 
dimbed  the  opposite  slope. 

"  Now,"  she  said,  with  a  happy  little  laugh,  "  we  are 
sensible  once  more;  but,  while  I  knew  it  couldn't  last, 
I  wanted  to  gallop  on  for  ever.  Larry,  I  wonder  if  we 
will  ever  feel  just  the  same  again?  There  are  enjoy- 
ments that  can't  come  to  anyone  more  than  once." 

"  There  are  others  one  can  have  all  the  time,  and 
we'll  think  of  them  to-night,"  said  the  man.  **  There 
are  bright  days  before  us,  and  we  can  wait  until  they 
come.'^ 

Hetty  smiled,  almost  sadly.  '*  Of  course !  "  she  said, 
"  but  no  bright  day  can  be  quite  the  same  as  this  moon- 
light to  me.  It  shone  down  on  us  when  I  rode  out  into 
the  night  and  darkness  without  knowing  where  I  was 
going,  and  only  that  you  were  beside  me.  You  will  stay 
there  always  now." 

They  held  on  across  the  empty  waste  while  the  hours 
of  darkness  slipped  by,  and  the  sun  was  rising  red  above 
the  great  levels'  rim  when  the  roofs  of  a  wooden  town 
rose  in  front  of  them.  As  the  frame  houses  slowly 
grew  into  form,  Hetty  painfully  straightened  herself. 
Her  face  was  white  and  weary  and  it  was  by  a  strenuous 
effort  she  held  herself  upright,  the  big  horse  limped 
a  little,  and  the  mire  was  spattered  thick  upon  her ;  but 
she  met  the  man's  eyes,  and,  though  her  lips  trembled, 
smiled  bravely. 

Larry  saw  and  understood,  and  his  face  grew  grave. 
"  I  have  a  good  deal  to  make  up  to  you,  Hetty,  and  I 
will  try  to  do  it  faithfully,"  he  said.  "  Still,  we  will  look 
forward  with  hope  and  courage  now — it  is  our  wedding 
day." 

Hetty  glanced  away  from  him  across  the  prairie,  and 

340 


HETTY  DECIDES 

the  man  fancied  he  saw  her  fingers  tremble  on  the 
bridle. 

"  It  is  hard  to  ask  you,  Larry — though  I  know  it 
shouldn't  be — but  have  you  a  few  dollars  that  you  could 
give  me  ? '' 

The  man  smiled  happily.  "  All  that  is  mine  is  yours, 
t  and,  as  it  happens,  I  have  two  or  three  bills  in  my  wallet. 
*   *'  Is  there  anything  you  wish  to  buy?  " 

Hetty  glanced  down,  flushing,  at  the  bedraggled  dress. 
*^  Larry,''  she  said  softly.  "  I  couldn't  marry  you  like 
this.  I  haven't  one  dollar  in  my  pocket — and  I  am  com- 
ing to  you  with  nothing,  dear." 

The  smile  faded  out  of  Larry's  eyes.  "  I  scarcely 
dare  remember  all  that  you  have  given  up  for  me !  And 
if  you  had  taken  Clavering  or  one  of  the  others  you 
would  have  ridden  to  your  wedding  with  a  hundred  men 
behind  you,  as  rich  as  a  princess." 

Hetty,  sitting,  jaded  and  bespattered,  on  the  limp- 
ing horse,  flashed  a  swift  glance  at  him,  and  smiled  out 
of  slightly  misty  eyes. 

"  It  happened,"  she  said,  *^  that  I  was  particular,  or  fan- 
ciful, and  there  was  only  one  man — ^the  one  that  would 
take  me  without  a  dollar,  in  borrowed  clothes — who 
seemed  good  enough  for  me." 

They  rode  on  past  a  stockyard,  and  into  a  rutted 
street  of  bare  frame  houses,  and  Hetty  was  glad  they 
scarcely  met  anybody.  Then,  Larry  helped  her  down, 
and,  thrusting  a  wallet  into  her  hands,  knocked  at  the 
door  of  a  house  beside  a  store.  The  man  who  opened 
it  stared  at  them,  and  when  Larry  had  drawn  him  aside 
called  his  wife.  She  took  Hetty's  chilled  hand  in  both 
her  own,  and  the  storekeeper  smiled  at  Larry. 

"  You  come  right  along  and  put  some  of  my  things 

341 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

on,"  he  said.  "  Then,  you  are  going  with  me  to  have 
breakfast  at  the  hotel,  and  talk  to  the  judge.  I  guess 
the  women  aren't  going  to  have  any  use  for  us." 

It  was  some  time  later  when  they  came  back  to  the 
store,  and  for  just  a  minute  Grant  saw  Hetty  alone. 
She  was  dressed  very  plainly  in  new  garments,  and 
blushed  when  he  looked  gravely  down  on  her. 

"  That  dress  is  not  good  enough  for  you,"  he  said. 
"  It  is  very  different  from  what  you  have  been  accus- 
tomed to." 

Hetty  glanced  at  him  shyly.  "  You  will  have  very 
few  dollars  to  spare,  Larry,  until  the  trouble's  through,'^ 
she  said,  "  and  you  will  be  my  husband  in  an  hour  or 
two.'' 


342 


XXX 

Larry's  wedding  day 

Hetty  was  married  in  haste,  without  benefit  of  clergy, 
while  several  men,  with  resolute  faces,  kept  watch  out- 
side the  judge's  door,  and  two  who  were  mounted  sat 
gazing  across  the  prairie  on  a  rise  outside  the  town. 
After  the  declarations  were  made  and  signed,  the  judge 
turned  to  Hetty,  who  stood  smiling  bravely,  though 
her  eyes  were  a  trifle  misty,  by  Larry's  side. 

"  Now  I  have  something  to  tell  your  husband,  Mrs. 
Grant,"  he  said.  "  You  will  have  to  spare  him  for  about 
five  minutes." 

Hetty's  lips  quivered,  for  she  recognized  the  gravity 
of  his  tone,  and  it  was  not  astonishing  that  for  a  mo- 
ment or  two  she  turned  her  face  aside.  She  had  en- 
deavoured to  look  forward  hopefully  and  banish  regrets  ; 
but  the  prosaic  sordidness  of  the  little  dusty  office,  and 
the  absence  of  anything  that  might  have  imparted  sig- 
nificance or  dignity  to  the  hurried  ceremony,  had  not 
been  without  their  effect.  She  had  seen  other  weddings 
in  New  York  as  well  as  in  the  cattle  country,  and  knew 
what  pomp  and  festivities  would  have  attended  hers 
had  she  married  with  her  father's  goodwill.  After  all, 
it  was  the  greatest  day  in  most  women's  lives,  and  she 
felt  the  unseemliness  of  the  rite  that  had  made  her  and 
Larry  man  and  wife.  Still,  the  fact  remained,  and, 
brushing  her  misgivings  away,  she  glanced  up  at  her 
husband. 

343 


THE  GATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

"  It  must  concern  us  both  now,"  she  said.  "  May  I 
hear?" 

"  Well,"  said  the  judge,  who  looked  a  trifle  embar- 
rassed, "  I  guess  you  are  right,  and  Larry  would  have 
to  tell  you ;  but  it's  not  a  pleasant  task  to  me.  It  is  just 
this — we  can't  keep  you  and  your  husband  any  longer 
in  this  town." 

"  Are  you  against  us,  too?  "  Hetty  asked,  with  a  flash 
in  her  eyes.    "  I  am  not  afraid." 

The  judge  made  her  a  little  respectful  inclination. 
"  You  are  Torrance  of  Cedar's  daughter,  and  everyone 
knows  the  kind  of  grit  there  is  in  that  family.  While 
I  knew  the  cattle-men  would  raise  a  good  deal  of  un- 
pleasantness when  I  married  you,  I  did  it  out  of  friend- 
liness for  Larry;  but  it  is  my  duty  to  uphold  the  law, 
and  I  can't  have  your  husband's  friends  and  your  father's 
cow-boys  making  trouble  here." 

"  Larry,"  said  the  girl  tremulously,  "  we  must  go  on 
again." 

Grant's  face  grew  stem.  "  No,"  he  said.  "  You  shall 
stay  here  in  spite  of  them  until  you  feel  fit  to  ride  for 
the  railroad." 

Just  then  a  man  came  in.  "  Battersly  saw  Torrance 
with  the  Sheriff  and  Clavering  and  quite  a  band  of 
cow-boys  ride  by  the  trail  forks  an  hour  ago,"  he  said. 
"  They  were  heading  for  Hamlin's,  but  they'd  make 
this  place  in  two  hours  when  they  didn't  find  Larry 
there." 

There  was  an  impressive  silence.  Hetty  shuddered, 
and  the  fear  in  her  eyes  was  unmistakable  when  she 
laid  her  hand  on  her  husband's  arm. 

"  We  must  go,"  she  said.  "  It  would  be  too  horrible 
if  you  should  meet  him." 

"Mrs.  Grant  is  right,"  said  the  storekeeper.     "We 

344 


LARRY'S  WEDDING  DAY 

know  Torrance  of  Cedar,  and  if  you  stayed  here,  Larryj,, 
you  and  she  might  be  sorry  all  your  lives.  Now,  you 
could,  by  riding  hard,  make  Canada  to-morrow/' 

Grant  stifled  a  groan,  and  though  his  face  was  grim 
his  voice  was  compassionate  as  he  turned  to  Hetty. 

"Are  you  very  tired?''  he  said  gently.  **  It  must 
be  the  saddle  again." 

Hetty  said  nothing,  but  she  pressed  his  arm,  and  her 
eyes  shone  mistily  when  they  went  out  together.  Half 
an  hour  later  they  rode  out  of  the  town,  and  Grant 
turned  to  her  when  the  clustering  houses  dipped  behind 
a  billowy  rise,  and  they  were  once  more  alone  in  the 
empty  prairie,  with  their  faces  towards  Canada. 

"  I  am  'most  ashamed  to  look  at  you,  but  you  will 
forgive  me,  little  girl,"  he  said.  "  There  are  brighter 
days  before  us  than  your  wedding  one,  and  by  and  by 
I  hope  you  will  not  be  sorry  you  have  borne  so  much 
for  me." 

Hetty's  lips  quivered  a  little,  but  the  pride  of  the 
cattle-barons  shone  in  her  eyes.  "  I  have  nothing  to 
forgive  and  am  only  very  tired,"  she  said.  **  I  shall 
never  be  sorry  while  you  are  kind  to  me,  and  I  would 
have  ridden  to  Canada  if  I  had  known  that  it  would 
have  killed  me.  The  one  thing  I  am  afraid  of  is  that 
you  and  he  should  meet." 

They  rode  on,  speaking  but  seldom  as  the  leagues 
went  by,  for  Grant  had  much  to  think  of  and  Hetty 
was  very  weary.  Indeed,  she  swayed  unevenly  in  her 
saddle,  while  the  long,  billowy  levels  shining  in  the 
sunlight  rolled  back,  as  it  were,  interminably  to  them, 
and  now  and  then  only  saved  herself  from  a  fall  by  a 
clutch  at  the  bridle.  There  were  times  when  a  drowsi- 
ness that  would  scarcely  be  shaken  off  crept  upon  her^^ 
and  she  roused  herself  with  a  strenuous  effort  and  a 

345 


THE   CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

horrible  fear  at  her  heart,  knowing  that  if  her  strength 
failed  her  the  blood  of  husband  or  father  might  be  upon 
her  head. 

The  sky  was  blue  above  them,  the  white  sod  warm 
below,  and  already  chequered  here  and  there  with 
green ;  and,  advancing  in  long  battalion,  crane  and  goose 
and  mallard  came  up  from  the  south  to  follow  the  sun 
towards  the  Pole.  The  iron  winter  had  fled  before  it, 
and  all  nature  smiled;  but  Hetty,  who  had  often  swept 
the  prairie  at  a  wild  gallop,  with  her  blood  responding 
to  the  thrill  of  reawakening  life  that  was  in  everything, 
rode  with  a  set  white  face  and  drooping  head,  and  Larry 
groaned  as  he  glanced  at  her. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  they  dismounted,  and  Hetty 
lay  with  her  head  upon  his  shoulder  while  they  rested 
amidst  the  grass.  The  provisions  the  storekeeper  had 
given  them  were  scattered  about,  but  Hetty  had  tasted 
nothing,  and  Grant  had  only  forced  himself  to  swallow 
a  few  mouthfuls  with  difficulty.  He  had  thrown  an 
arm  about  her,  and  she  lay  with  eyes  closed,  motionless. 

Suddenly  he  raised  his  head  and  looked  about  him. 
Save  for  the  sighing  of  the  warm  wind,  the  prairie  was 
very  still,  and  a  low,  white  rise  cut  off  from  sight  the 
leagues  they  had  left  behind,  but,  though  a  man  from 
the  cities  would  have  heard  nothing  at  all,  Larry,  strain- 
ing his  ears  to  listen,  heard  a  sound  just  audible  creep 
out  of  the  silence.  For  a  moment  he  sat  rigid  and  in- 
tent, wondering  if  it  was  made  by  a  flight  of  cranes; 
but  he  could  see  no  dusky  stain  on  the  blue  beyond  the 
rise,  and  his  fingers  closed  upon  the  rifle  as  the  sound 
grew  plainer.  It  rose  and  fell  with  a  staccato  rhythm 
in  it,  and  he  recognized  the  beat  of  hoofs.  Turning,  he 
gently  touched  the  girl. 

346 


LARRY'S  WEDDING  DAY 

•  "  Hetty,  you  must  rouse  yourself/'  he  said,  with  a 
pitiful  quiver  in  his  voice. 

The  girl  slowly  lifted  her  head,  and  glanced  about 
her  in  a  half-dazed  fashion.  Then,  with  an  effort,  she 
drew  one  foot  under  her,  and  again  the  fear  shadowed 
her  face. 

"  Oh,"  she  said,  '*  they're  coming!    Lift  me,  dear." 

Larry  gently  raised  her  to  her  feet,  but  it  was  a 
minute  or  two  before  she  could  stand  upright,  and  the 
man's  face  was  haggard  when  he  lifted  her  to  the  saddle. 

**  I  think  the  end  has  come,"  he  said.  "  You  can  ride 
no  farther." 

Hetty  swayed  a  little;  but  she  clutched  the  bridle, 
and  a  faint  sparkle  showed  in  her  half-closed  eyes. 

*'  They  want  to  take  you  from  me.  We  will  go  on 
until  we  drop,"  she  said. 

Larry  got  into  the  saddle,  though  he  did  not  know 
how  he  accomplished  it,  and  looked  ahead  anxiously 
as  he  shook  the  bridle.  Away  on  the  rim  of  the  prairie 
there  was  a  dusky  smear,  and  he  knew  it  was  a  birch-^ 
bluff,  which  would,  if  they  could  reach  it,  afford  them 
shelter.  In  the  open  he  would  be  at  the  cow-boys^ 
mercy;  but  a  desperate  man  might  at  least  check  some 
of  the  pursuers  among  the  trees,  and  he  was  not  sure 
that  Torrance,  whose  years  must  tell,  would  be  among 
them.    There  was  a  very  faint  hope  yet.  ^ 

They  went  on  at  a  gallop,  though  the  horses  obtained 
at  Windsor  were  already  jaded,  and  very  slowly  the 
bluff  grew  higher.  Glancing  over  his  shoulder.  Grant 
saw  a  few  moving  objects  straggle  across  the  crest  of 
the  rise.  They  seemed  to  grow  plainer  while  he  watched 
them,  and  more  appeared  behind. 

"  We  will  make  the  bluff  before  them,"  he  said 
hoarsely.     **Ride!" 

34r 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

He  drove  his  heels  home ;  but  the  beast  he  rode  was 
flagging  fast  when,  knowing  how  Torrance's  cow-boys 
were  mounted,  he  glanced  behind  again.  He  could  see 
them  distinctly  now,  straggling,  with  wide  hats  bent  by 
the  wind  and  jackets  fluttering,  across  the  prairie.  Here 
and  there  a  rifle-barrel  glinted,  and  the  beat  of  their 
horses'  hoofs  reached  him  plainly.  One,  riding  furi- 
ously a  few  lengths  ahead  of  the  foremost,  he  guessed 
was  Clavering,  and  he  fancied  he  recognized  the  Sheriff 
in  another ;  but  he  could  not  discern  Torrance  anywhere. 
He  turned  his  eyes  ahead  and  watched  the  bluff  rise 
higher,  though  the  white  levels  seemed  to  flit  back  to 
him  with  an  exasperating  slowness.  Beyond  it  a  faint 
grey  smear  rose  towards  the  blue;  but  the  jaded  horse 
demanded  most  of  his  attention,  for  the  sod  was  slip- 
pery here  and  there  where  the  snow  had  lain  in  a 
hollow,  and  the  beast  stumbled  now  and  then. 

Still,  the  birches  were  drawing  nearer,  and  Hetty 
holding  ahead  of  him,  though  the  roar  of  hoofs  behind 
him  told  that  the  pursuers  were  coming  up  fast.  He 
was  not  certain  yet  that  he  could  reach  the  trees  before 
they  came  upon  him,  and  was  clawing  with  one  hand 
at  his  rifle  when  Hetty  cried  out  faintly : 

"  There  are  more  of  them  in  front." 

Grant  set  his  lips  as  a  band  of  horsemen  swung  out 
of  the  shadows  of  the  bluff.  His  eyes  caught  and  recog- 
nized the  glint  of  sunlight  on  metal ;  but  in  another 
moment  his  heart  leaped,  for  through  the  drumming  of 
their  hoofs  there  came  the  musical  jingle  of  steel,  and 
he  saw  the  men  were  dressed  in  blue  uniform.  He 
swung  up  his  hat  exultantly,  and  his  voice  reached  the 
girl,  hoarse  and  strained  with  relief. 

"  We  are  through.    They  are  United  States  cavalry!  '* 

The  horsemen  came  on  at  a  trot,  until  Grant  and  the 

348 


LARRY'S  WEDDING  DAY 

girl  rode  up  to  them.  Then,  they  pulled  up,  and  when 
Grant  had  helped  Hetty  down  their  officer,  who  wheeled 
his  horse,  sat  gazing  at  them  curiously.  Grant  did  not 
at  once  recognize  him,  but  Hetty  gasped. 

"  Larry,"  she  said  faintly,  "  it's  Jack  Cheyne." 

Grant  drew  her  hand  within  his  arm,  and  walked 
slowly  forward  past  the  wondering  troopers.  Then  he 
raised  his  broad  hat. 

"  I  claim  your  protection  for  my  wife,  Captain 
Cheyne,"  he  said. 

Cheyne  sat  very  still  a  moment,  looking  down  on  him 
with  a  strained  expression  in  his  face;  and  Grant,  who 
saw  it,  glanced  at  Hetty.  She  was  leaning  heavily  upon 
him,  her  garments  spattered  with  mire,  but  he  could  not 
see  her  eyes.    Then  Cheyne  nodded  gravely. 

"Mrs.  Grant  can  count  upon  it,"  he  said.  "Those 
men  were  chasing  you?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Grant.  "One  of  them  is  the  Sheriff. 
I  believe  he  intends  to  arrest  me." 

"Sheriff  Slocane?" 

"  Yes.  I  shall  resist  capture  by  him ;  but  I  heard 
that  the  civil  law  would  be  suspended  in  this  district, 
and  if  that  has  been  done,  I  will  give  myself  up  to  you." 

Cheyne  nodded  again.  "  Give  one  of  the  boys  your 
rifle,  and  step  back  with  Mrs.  Grant  in  the  meanwhile. 
You  are  on  parole." 

He  said  something  sharply,  and  there  was  a  trample 
of  hoofs  and  jingle  of  steel  as  the  troopers  swung  into 
changed  formation.  They  sat  still  as  the  cattle-men 
rode  up,  and  when  Clavering  reined  his  horse  in  a  few 
lengths  away  from  them  Cheyne  acknowledged  his 
salute. 

"We  have  come  after  a  notorious  disturber  of  this 

349 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

district  who  has,  I  notice,  taken  refuge  with  you,''  he 
said.     "  I  must  ask  you  to  give  him  up." 

*'  I'm  sorry,"  said  Cheyne  firmly.  *'  It  can't  be  done 
just  yet." 

Clavering  glanced  at  the  men  behind  him — and  there 
were  a  good  many  of  them,  all  without  fear,  and  irre- 
sponsible ;  then  he  looked  at  the  little  handful  of  troopers, 
and  Cheyne's  face  hardened  as  he  saw  the  insolent  sig- 
nificance of  his  glance. 

"Hadn't  you  better  think  it  over?  The  boys  are  a 
little  difficult  to  hold  in  hand,  and  we  can't  go  back  with- 
out our  man,"  he  said. 

Cheyne  eyed  him  steadily.  **  Mr.  Grant  has  given 
himself  up  to  me.  If  there  is  any  charge  against  him 
it  shall  be  gone  into.  In  the  meanwhile,  draw  your 
men  off  and  dismount  if  you  wish  to  talk  to  me." 

Clavering  sat  perfectly  still,  with  an  ironical  smile 
on  his  lips.  **  Be  wise,  and  don't  thrust  yourself  into 
this  affair,  which  does  not  concern  you,  or  you  may 
regret  it,"  he  said.  '*  Here  is  a  gentleman  who  will 
convince  you." 

He  backed  his  horse  as  another  man  rode  forward 
and  with  an  assumption  of  importance  addressed  Cheyne. 
"  Now,"  he  said,  "  we  don't  want  any  unpleasantness, 
but  I  have  come  for  the  person  of  Larry  Grant,  and  I 
mean  to  take  him." 

"  Will  you  tell  me  who  I  have  the  honour  of  address- 
ing?" said  Cheyne. 

*'  Sheriff  Slocane.  I  have  a  warrant  for  Larry  Grant, 
and  you  will  put  me  to  any  inconvenience  in  carrying 
it  out  at  your  peril." 

Cheyne  smiled  drily.  "  Then,  as  it  is  evidently  some 
days  since  you  left  home,  I  am  afraid  I  have  bad  news 
for  you.    You  are  superseded,  Mr.  Slocane." 

350 


LARRY'S  WEDDING  DAY 

The  Sheriff's  face  flushed  darkly,  Clavering's  grew 
set,  and  there  was  an  angry  murmur  from  the  men 
behind  them. 

"  Boys,"  said  Clavering,  **  are  you  going  to  be  beaten 
by  Larry  again?  " 

There  was  a  trampHng  of  hoofs  as  some  of  the  cow- 
boys edged  their  horses  closer,  and  the  murmurs  grew 
louder ;  but  Cheyne  flung  up  one  hand. 

''  Another  word,  and  I'll  arrest  you,  Mr.  Clavering," 
he  said.  "  Sling  those  rifles,  all  of  you!  I  have  another 
troop  with  horses  picketed  behind  the  bluff." 

There  was  sudden  silence  until  the  Sheriff  spoke. 
"  Boys,"  he  said,  "  don't  be  blamed  fools  when  it  isn't 
any  use.  Larry  has  come  out  on  top  again.  But  I 
don't  know  that  I  am  sorry  I  have  done  with  him  and 
the  cattle-men." 

The  men  made  no  further  sign  of  hostility,  and 
Cheyne  turned  to  the  Sheriff.  **  Thank  you,"  he  said. 
*'  Now,  I  have  to  inform  you  that  this  district  is  under 
martial  law,  and  I  have  been  entrusted,  within  limits, 
with  jurisdiction.  If  you  and  Mr.  Clavering  have  any 
offences  to  urge  against  Grant,  I  shall  be  pleased  to 
hear  you.  In  that  case  you  can  tell  your  men  to  picket 
their  horses,  and  follow  me  to  our  bivouac." 

The  two  men  dismounted,  and  while  Hetty  sat  trem- 
bling amidst  the  birches  talked  for  half  an  hour  in 
Cheyne's  tent.  Then,  Clavering,  who  saw  that  they 
were  gaining  little,  lost  his  head,  and  stood  up  white 
with  anger. 

"  We  are  wasting  time,"  he  said.  **  Still,  I  warn  you 
that  the  State  will  hold  you  responsible  if  you  turn  that 
man  loose  again.  Our  wishes  can  still  command  a  cer- 
tain attention  in  high  places." 

Cheyne  smiled  coldly.    "  I  shall  be  quite  prepared  to 

351 


THE  CATTLEBARON'S  DAUGHTER 

account  for  whatever  I  do.  The  State,  I  fancy,  is  not 
to  be  dictated  to  by  the  cattle-men's  committees.  It  is, 
of  course,  no  affair  of  mine,  but  I  can't  help  thinking 
that  it  will  prove  a  trifle  unfortunate  for  one  or  two 
of  you  that,  when  you  asked  for  more  cavalry,  you  were 
listened  to." 

"  Well,"  said  the  Sheriff  dejectedly,  "  I  quite  fancy 
it  will  be ;  but  Fm  not  going  to  worry.  The  cattle-men 
made  it  blamed  unpleasant  for  me.  What  was  I  super- 
seded for,  any  way?  " 

"  Incapacity  and  corruption,  I  believe/^  Cheyne  said 
drily. 

Clavering  stood  still  a  moment,  with  an  unpleasant 
look  in  his  eyes,  but  the  Sheriff,  who  seemed  the  least 
disconcerted,  touched  his  arm. 

"  You  come  along  before  you  do  something  you  will 
be  sorry  for,"  he  said.  ''  I'm  not  anxious  for  any  un- 
necessary trouble,  and  it  would  have  been  considerably 
more  sensible  if  I  had  stood  in  with  the  homestead- 
boys." 

They  went  away,  and  Cheyne  led  Larry,  who  had 
been  confronted  with  them,  back  to  where  Hetty  was 
sitting. 

"  I  understand  the  men  left  your  father  behind,  some 
distance  back,"  he  said.  "  He  was  more  fatigued  than 
the  rest  and  his  horse  went  lame.  Your  husband's  case 
will  have  consideration,  but  I  scarcely  fancy  he  need 
have  any  great  apprehension,  and  I  must  try  to  make 
you  comfortable  in  the  meanwhile." 

Hetty  glanced  up  at  him  with  her  eyes  shining  and 
quivering  lips.  "  Thank  you,"  she  said  quietly.  "  Larry, 
I  am  so  tired." 

Cheyne  called  an  orderly,  and  ten  minutes  later  led 
her  to  a  tent.    "  Your  husband  placed  you  in  my  charge, 

352 


LARRY'S  WEDDING  DAY 

and  I  must  ask  for  obedience,"  he  said.  "  You  will  eat 
and  drink  what  you  see  there,  and  then  go  to  sleep.  I 
will  take  good  care  of  Mr.  Grant." 

He  drew  Larry  away  and  sat  talking  with  him  for 
a  while,  then  bade  an  orderly  find  him  a  waterproof 
sheet  and  rug.  Larry  was  asleep  within  ten  minutes, 
and  the  moon  was  shining  above  the  bluff  when  he 
awakened  and  moved  to  the  tent  where  Hetty  lay. 
Drawing  back  the  canvas,  he  crept  in  softly  and  dropped 
almost  reverently  on  one  knee  beside  her.  He  could 
hear  her  faint,  restful  breathing,  and  the  little  hand  he 
felt  for  was  pleasantly  cool.  As  he  stooped  and  touched 
her  forehead  with  his  lips,  the  fingers  closed  a  trifle 
on  his  own,  and  the  girl  moved  in  her  sleep.  "  Larry," 
she  said  drowsily,  "  Larry,  dear !  " 

Grant  drew  his  hand  away  very  softly,  and  went  out 
with  his  heart  throbbing  furiously,  to  find  Cheyne  wait- 
ing in  the  vicinity.  His  face  showed  plain  in  the  moon- 
light, and  it  was  quietly  grave;  but  Grant  once  more 
saw  the  expression  in  it  that  had  astonished  him.  Now, 
however,  he  understood  it,  and  Cheyne  knew  that  he 
did  so.  They  stood  quite  still  a  moment,  looking  into 
each  other's  eyes. 

"Mrs.  Grant  is  resting  well?"  Cheyne  asked. 

"  Yes,"  said  Larry.    "  I  owe  a  good  deal  to  you." 

It  did  not  express  what  they  felt,  but  they  understood 
each  other,  and  Cheyne  smiled  a  little.  "  You  need  not 
thank  me  yet.  Your  case  will  require  consideration, 
and  if  the  new  Sheriff  urges  his  predecessor's  charge,  I 
shall  pass  it  on.  In  the  meantime  I  have  sent  to  Wind- 
sor for  a  buggy,  in  which  you  can  take  Mrs.  Grant  away 
to-morrow." 

It  was  early  next  morning  when  the  buggy  arrived, 
and  Cheyne,  who  ordered  two  troopers  to  lead  the 

353 


THE   CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

hired  horses,  had  a  hasty  breakfast  served.  When  the 
plates  had  been  removed  he  turned  to  Hetty  with  a 
smile. 

"  I  have  decided  to  release  your  husband — on  condi- 
tion that  he  drives  straight  back  to  his  homestead  and 
stays  there  with  you/'  he  said.  "  The  State  has  under- 
taken to  keep  order  and  give  every  man  what  he  is 
entitled  to  now;  and  if  we  find  Mr.  Grant  has  a  finger 
in  any  further  trouble,  I  shall  blame  you." 

He  handed  Hetty  into  the  buggy,  passed  the  reins 
to  Larry,  and  stood  alone  looking  after  them  as  they 
drove  away.  Hetty  turned  to  her  husband,  with  a  blush 
in  her  cheek. 

"  Larry,"  she  said  softly,  **  I  have  something  to  tell 
you." 

Grant  checked  her  with  a  smile.  "  I  have  guessed  it 
already;  and  it  means  a  new  responsibility." 

"  I  don't  understand,"  said  Hetty. 

Again  the  little  twinkle  showed  in  Larry's  eyes. 
"  Well,"  he  said  quietly,  "  that  you  should  have  taken 
me  when  you  had  men  of  his  kind  to  choose  from  means 
a  good  deal.  I  wouldn't  like  you  to  find  out  that  you 
had  been  mistaken,  Hetty." 


354 


XXXI 

TORRANCE   RIDES   AWAY 

It  was  late  at  night,  and  Miss  Schuyler,  sitting  alone 
in  Hetty's  room,  found  the  time  pass  very  heavily.  She 
had  raised  her  voice  in  warning  when  the  cow-boys 
mounted  the  night  Grant  had  ridden  away  with  Hetty, 
and  had  seen  the  fugitives  vanish  into  the  darkness, 
but  since  then  she  had  had  no  news  of  them,  for  while 
Breckenridge  had  arrived  at  Cedar  the  next  day,  in 
custody  of  two  mounted  men,  nobody  would  tell  him 
what  had  really  happened.  Her  first  impulse  had  been 
to  ask  for  an  escort  to  the  depot  and  take  the  cars  for 
New  York,  but  she  was  intensely  anxious  to  discover 
whether  Hetty  had  evaded  pursuit,  and  her  pride  for- 
bade her  slipping  away  without  announcing  her  inten- 
tion to  Torrance,  who  had  not  yet  come  back  to  the 
Range.  She  felt  that  something  was  due  to  him,  es- 
pecially as  she  had  not  regained  the  house  unnoticed 
when  the  pursuit  commenced. 

Rising,  she  moved  restlessly  up  and  down  the  room; 
but  that  in  no  way  lessened  the  suspense,  and  sitting 
down  again  she  resolutely  took  up  a  book,  but  she  lis- 
tened instead  of  reading  it.  There  was,  however,  no 
sound  from  the  prairie,  and  the  house  seemed  exas- 
peratingly  still. 

"  You  will  have  to  shake  this  nervousness  off,  or  you 
will  make  a  fool  of  yourself  before  that  man,''  she  mut- 
tered. 

355 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

She  felt  that  she  had  sat  there  a  very  long  while, 
though  the  clock  showed  that  scarcely  an  hour  had 
passed,  when  at  last  there  was  a  rattle  of  wheels  and 
a  trampling  of  hoofs  outside.  The  great  door  opened, 
and  after  that  there  was  an  apparently  interminable 
silence,  until  Hetty's  maid  came  in. 

"  If  it  is  convenient,   Mr.   Torrance  would  like  to  ' 
speak  to  you,"  she  said. 

Flora  Schuyler  rose  and  followed  the  girl  down  the 
corridor;  but  her  heart  beat  faster  than  usual  when 
the  door  of  Torrance's  room  closed  behind  her.  The 
stove  was  no  longer  lighted,  and  Torrance  stood  beside 
the  hearth,  which  was  littered  with  half-consumed 
papers,  and  Miss  Schuyler,  who  knew  his  precision  in 
dress,  noticed  that  he  still  wore  the  bespattered  gar- 
ments he  had  ridden  in.  But  it  was  the  grimness  of  his 
face,  and  the  weariness  in  his  pose,  which  seized  her 
attention  and  aroused  a  curious  sympathy  for  him.  He 
glanced  at  her  sharply,  with  stern,  dark  eyes. 

"  I  have  to  thank  you  for  coming,  but  I  am  going  to 
talk  plainly,"  he  said.  "  You  connived  at  the  meetings 
between  my  daughter  and  the  rascally  adventurer  who 
has  married  her?" 

"  They  are  married  ?  "  exclaimed  Miss  Schuyler  in 
her  eagerness,  and  the  next  moment  felt  the  blood 
rise  to  her  face  as  she  realized  that  she  had  blundered 
in  admitting  any  doubt  upon  the  subject.  "  I  mean,  of 
course,  that  I  wondered  whether  Mr.  Grant  could  have 
arranged  it  so  soon." 

"  You  seem  to  attach  a  good  deal  of  importance  to 
the  ceremony,"  Torrance  said,  with  a  bitter  smile. 
"  Marriage  is  quite  easy  in  this  country." 

Miss  Schuyler  was  not  deficient  in  courage  of  one 
kind,  and  she  looked  at  him  steadily.     *'  I  came  down 

356 


TORRANCE  RIDES  AWAY 

to  speak  to  you  because  it  seemed  your  due,"  she  said, 
but  I  have  no  intention  of  listening  to  any  jibes  at  my 
friends." 

Torrance  made  her  a  Httle  half-respectful  and  half- 
ironical  incHnation.  "  Then  will  you  be  good  enough 
to  answer  my  question  ?  " 

''  Though  most  of  the  few  meetings  were  accidental, 
I  went  with  Hetty  intentionally  on  two  occasions  because 
it  seemed  fitting." 

"  It  seemed  fitting  that  a  girl  should  betray  her  father 
to  the  man  who  wanted  to  ruin  him,  supply  him  with  the 
dollars  that  helped  him  in  his  scheme,  and,  more  than 
all,  warn  him  of  each  move  we  made !  Well,  my  stand- 
ard is  not  very  high,  but  the  most  cruel  blow  I  have  had 
to  bear  was  the  discovery  that  my  daughter  had  fallen 
so  far." 

The  hoarseness  of  his  voice,  and  the  sight  of  the 
damp  upon  his  forehead,  had  a  calming  effect  upon  Miss 
Schuyler.  Her  anger  against  the  old  man  had  given 
place  to  pity,  for  she  decided  that  what  had  passed  would 
have  excited  most  men's  suspicions,  and  it  was  not  in 
Hetty's  defence  alone  she  made  an  effort  to  undeceive 
him. 

"  I  am  going  to  answer  you  plainly,  and  I  think  an 
examination  of  Hetty's  cheque-book  and  the  money  she 
left  behind  will  bear  me  out,"  she  said.  "  Once  only 
did  Hetty  give  Mr.  Grant  any  dollars — fifty  of  them,  I 
think,  to  feed  some  hungry  children.  He  would  not 
take  them  until  she  assured  him  that  they  were  a  part 
of  a  small  annuity  left  her  by  her  mother,  and  that  not 
one  of  them  came  from  you.  I  also  know  that  Mr. 
Grant  allowed  his  friends  to  suspect  him  of  being  bribed 
by  you  sooner  than  tell  them  where  he  obtained  the 
dollars  in  question.     The  adventurer  dealt  most  hon- 

357 


THE  GATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

ourably  with  you.  Your  daughter  twice  disclosed  your 
plans,  once  when  Clavering  had  plotted  Grant's  arrest, 
and  again  when  had  she  not  done  so  it  would  most  as- 
suredly have  led  to  the  destruction  of  the  cattle-train. 
Mr.  Clavering  came  near  making  a  horrible  blunder  on 
that  occasion,  and  but  for  Hetty's  warning  not  a  head 
of  your  stock  would  have  reached  Omaha." 

Her  tone  carried  conviction  with  it,  as  did  the  flash 
in  her  eyes,  but  Torrance's  smile  was  sardonic.  "  You 
would  try  to  persuade  me  Larry  saved  the  train  out 
of  goodwill  to  us  ?  " 

"  He  did  it,  knowing  what  it  was  going  to  cost  him, 
to  prevent  the  men  he  led  starting  on  a  course  of  out- 
rage and  lawlessness." 

"  And  they  have  paid  him  for  it !  " 

"  I  fancy  that  is  outside  the  question,"  said  Miss 
Schuyler.  "  Twice,  when  every  good  impulse  that  is  in 
our  kind  laid  her  under  compulsion,  Hetty  warned  the 
man  she  loved,  but  at  no  other  time  did  a  word  to 
your  prejudice  pass  her  lips;  and  if  she  had  spoken  it 
Grant  would  not  have  listened.  Hetty  was  loyal,  and 
he  treated  you  with  a  fairness  that  none  of  you  merited. 
You  sent  the  Sheriff  a  bribe  and  an  order  for  his  arrest, 
and  by  inadvertence  it  fell  into  his  hands.  He  brought 
it  back  here  unopened  at  his  peril." 

Torrance  looked  at  her  in  astonishment.  "  He 
brought  back  my  letter  to  the  Sheriff?" 

"  Yes.  There  was  nothing  else  a  man  of  that  kind 
could  have  done." 

Torrance  stood  silent  for  a  space,  and  then,  stooping, 
picked  up  a  half-burnt  paper  from  the  hearth,  glanced 
at  it  with  a  curious  expression,  and  flung  it  into  the 
embers.  When  it  had  charred  away  he  turned  to  Miss 
Schuyler. 

358 


TORRANCE  RIDES  AWAY 

"  You  have  shown  yourself  a  good  friend,"  he  said 
gravely.  "  Still,  you  may  understand  the  other  side  of 
the  question  if  you  listen  to  me." 

He  turned  and  pointed  to  an  empty  tin  case,  and  the 
charred  papers  in  the  hearth.  ''  That  is  the  end  of  the 
plans  of  half  a  lifetime — and  they  were  all  for  Hetty. 
I  had  no  one  else  after  her  mother  was  taken  from  me, 
and  I  scraped  the  dollars  together  for  her,  that  she 
should  have  what  her  heart  could  wish  for,  and  the 
enjoyments  her  parents  had  never  known;  and  w^hile 
I  did  so  I  and  the  others  built  up  the  prosperity  of  the 
cattle  country.  We  fed  the  railroads  and  built  the 
towns,  and  when  we  would  have  rested,  Larry  and  his 
friends  took  hold.  You  see  what  they  have  made  of  it 
— a  great  industry  ruined,  the  country  under  martial 
law,  its  commerce  crippled,  and  the  proclamation  that 
can  only  mean  disaster  to  us  hung  out  everywhere.  My 
daughter  turned  against  me — and  nothing  left  me  but 
to  go  out,  a  wanderer!  Larry  has  done  his  work  thor- 
oughly, and  you  would  have  me  make  friends  with 
him?" 

Miss  Schuyler  made  a  little  sympathetic  gesture,  for 
he  seemed  very  jaded  and  weary.  "  No,"  she  said. 
"  One  could  not  expect  too  much,  but  Hetty  is  your 
daughter,  the  only  one  you  have,  and  for  her  mother's 
sake  you  will  at  least  do  nothing  that  would  embitter 
her  life." 

Torrance  looked  at  her  with  a  curious  smile.  "  There 
is  nothing  I  could  do.  Larry  and  the  rabble  are  our 
masters  now ;  but  I  will  see  her  once  before  I  go  away. 
Is  there  any  other  thing — that  would  be  a  little  easier 
— I  could  do  to  please  you?" 

"  Yes.    You  could  release  Mr.  Breckenridge." 

Torrance  turned  and  struck  a  bell.     "  I  had  almost 

359 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

forgotten  him.  Will  you  wait  and  see  me  do  what  you 
have  asked  me  ?  " 

In  a  few  minutes  more  Breckenridge  was  ushered  in. 
He  smiled  at  Miss  Schuyler,  and  made  Torrance  a 
slight,  dignified  salutation.  Torrance  acknowledged  it 
courteously. 

"  You  have  yourself  to  blame  for  any  inconvenience 
you  have  been  put  to,  Mr.  Breckenridge,"  he  said. 
"  You  conspired  to  assist  your  partner  in  an  undertak- 
ing you  could  not  expect  me  to  forgive." 

"  No,"  said  Breckenridge.  "  I  offered  to  ride  with 
Larry,  and  he  would  not  have  me.  I  went  without  him 
knowing  it  and  made  my  plans  myself  ?  " 

"This  is  the  truth?" 

Breckenridge  straightened  himself  and  looked  at  Tor- 
rance with  a  little  flash  in  his  eye.  "  You  must  take 
my  word — I  shall  not  substantiate  it.  If  you  had  had 
an  army  corps  of  cut-throats  ready  to  do  what  you  told 
them  that  night,  Larry  would  have  gone  alone." 

Torrance  nodded  gravely.  *'  It  is  taken.  At  leasts 
you  bluffed  us  into  following  you." 

"  Yes,"  and  Breckenridge  smiled,  "  I  did.  I  also 
prevented  my  companion  shooting  one  of  your  friends, 
as  he  seemed  quite  anxious  to  do.  I  don't  wish  to  hurt 
your  feelings,  sir,  but  I  have  not  the  least  regret  for 
anything  I  did  that  night." 

"  Then,  you  are  still  very  bitter  against  me  ?  " 

Breckenridge  considered.  "  No,  sir.  The  one  man 
I  am  bitter  against  is  Clavering.  Now,  it  may  sound 
presumptuous,  and  not  come  very  well  from  me,  but  I 
believe  that  Clavering,  for  his  own  purposes,  forced 
your  hand,  and  I  had  a  certain  respect  for  you,  if  only 
because  of  your  thoroughness.    You  see,  one  can't  help 

360 


TORRANCE  RIDES  AWAY 

realizing  that  you  can  look  at  every  question  quite  dif- 
ferently." 

Torrance  smiled  drily.  **  Then  if  you  are  not  too 
proud  to  be  my  guest  to-night,  I  should  be  glad  of  your 
company  and  will  find  you  a  horse  to  take  you  back  to 
Fremont  when  it  suits  you.'' 

Breckenridge,  for  some  reason  that  was  not  very  ap- 
parent, seemed  pleased  to  agree,  but  a  faint  smile  just 
showed  in  Torrance's  eyes  when  he  went  out  again. 
Then,  he  turned  to  Miss  Schuyler. 

"  I  wonder  what  Mr.  Clavering  has  done  to  win 
everybody's  dislike,"  he  said.  "  You  do  not  seem  anx- 
ious to  plead  for  him." 

Flora  Schuyler's  face  grew  almost  vindictive.  "  No," 
she  said,  "  I  don't.  I  can,  however,  mention  one  thing 
I  find  it  difficult  to  forgive  him.  When  you  promised 
him  Hetty  he  had  found  favour  with  her  maid,  and  made 
the  most  of  the  fact.  It  was  not  flattering  to  your 
daughter  or  my  friend.  He  may  not  have  told  you  that 
he  promised  to  marry  her." 

Torrance  stared  at  her  a  moment,  a  dark  flush  rising 
to  his  forehead.    "  You  are  quite  sure  ?  " 

*'  Ask  the  girl,"  said  Flora  Schuyler. 

Torrance  struck  the  bell  again,  and  waited  until  the 
maid  came  in.  *'  I  understand  Mr.  Clavering  promised 
to  marry  you,"  he  said  very  quietly.  "  You  would  be 
willing  to  take  him?" 

The  girl's  face  grew  a  trifle  pale,  and  she  glanced  at 
Miss  Schuyler  who  nodded  encouragingly. 

"  Yes,"  she  said. 

Torrance  smiled,  but  Miss  Schuyler  did  not  like  the 
glint  in  his  eyes.  '*  Then,"  he  said  with  incisive  dis- 
tinctness, "  if  you  are  in  the  same  mind  in  another  week^ 
he  shall." 

361 


TORRANCE  RIDES  AWAY 

of  them  if  I  went  back  there  now.  It  sounds  abominably 
egotistical,  but  you  see  what  it  is  leading  to  ? '' 

Miss  Schuyler,  who  had  no  difficulty  on  that  point, 
regarded  him  thoughtfully.  Breckenridge  was  a  hand- 
some young  Englishman  and  she  had  liked  him  from 
the  first.  Larry  had  fallen  to  another,  and  that  per- 
haps counted  for  more  than  a  little  to  Breckenridge ;  but 
she  had  seen  more  than  one  friend  of  hers  contented 
with  the  second  best.  Still,  she  sighed  before  she  met 
his  gaze. 

'*  I  think  you  must  make  it  a  little  plainer,"  she  said. 

"  Well,"  said  Breckenridge  quietly,  *'it  is  just  this. 
You  have  done  a  good  deal  for  me  already,  and  I  almost 
dare  to  fancy  I  could  be  a  credit  to  you  if  you  would  do 
a  little  more,  while  it  would  carry  conviction  to  my  most 
doubting  relatives  if  you  went  back  to  the  old  country 
w^th  me.     They  would  only  have  to  see  you." 

Flora  Schuyler  smiled.  "  This  is  serious,  Mr.  Breck- 
enridge ?  " 

Breckenridge  made  her  a  little  inclination,  and  while 
in  a  curious  fashion  it  increased  Flora  Schuyler's  liking 
for  him  she  recognized  that  he  was  no  longer  the  light- 
hearted  and  irresponsible  young  Englishman  she  had 
met  a  few  months  ago.  He,  too,  had  borne  the  burden, 
and  there  was  a  gravity  in  his  eyes  and  a  slight  hardening 
of  his  lips  that  had  its  meaning. 

"  I  never  was  more  serious  in  my  life,  madam,"  he 
said.  "  I  know  that  I  might  have  spoken — not  more 
respectfully,  but  differently — but  when  I  am  too  solemn 
everybody  laughs  at  me." 

"  Does  it  not  strike  you  that  you  have  only  regarded 
the  affair  from  one  point  of  view  so  far?  " 

Breckenridge     nodded.     ''  I    understand.     But    one 

363 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

The  girl  went  out,  and  Torrance,  who  had  watched 
her  face,  turned  to  Miss  Schuyler.  "  I  guess  that  young 
woman  will  be  quite  equal  to  him,"  he  said.  "  Well,  I 
am  putting  my  house  in  order,  and  I  will  ride  over  once 
and  see  Hetty  before  I  leave  Cedar.  You  will  stay  here 
until  she  comes  back  to  Fremont,  any  way." 

Miss  Schuyler  promised  to  do  so,  and  stayed  two  days, 
as  did  Breckenridge,  who  eventually  rode  to  Fremont 
with  hen  He  was  very  quiet  during  the  journey,  and 
somewhat  astonished  his  companion  by  gravely  swinging 
off  his  broad  hat  when  they  pulled  upon  the  crest  of  a 
rise. 

"  I  wonder  if  you  would  listen  to  something  I  wish 
to  tell  you,"  he  said.  "  The  trouble  is  that  it  requires  an 
explanation." 

Flora  Schuyler  glanced  at  him  thoughtfully,  for  she 
recognized  the  symptoms  now.  Breckenridge  appeared 
unusually  grave,  and  there  was  a  little  flush  on  his  fore- 
head, and  a  diffidence  she  had  not  hitherto  seen  there,  in 
his  eyes. 

"  I  can  decide  about  the  rest  when  I  have  heard  the 
explanation,"  she  answered. 

"  Well,"  said  Breckenridge  slowly,  "  I  came  out  West, 
so  to  speak,  because  I  was  under  a  cloud.  Now,  I  had 
never  done  anything  distinctly  bad,  but  my  one  ability 
seemed  to  consist  in  spending  money,  and  when  I  had 
got  through  a  good  deal  of  it  my  friends  sent  me  here, 
which  was  perhaps  a  little  rough  on  your  country.  Well, 
as  it  happened,  I  fell  in  with  men  and  women  of  the 
right  kind — Larry,  and  somebody  else  who  did  more  for 
me.  That  made  a  difference;  and  while  I  was  realizing 
how  very  little  I  had  got  for  the  time  and  dollars  I  had 
wasted,  affairs  began  to  happen  in  the  old  country,  and  I 
should  have  the  responsibility  of  handling  a  good  many 

362 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

feels  very  diffident  when  he  knows  the  sh'ght  value  of 
what  he  has  to  offer.  I  should  always  love  you,  whether 
you  say  yes  or  no.  For  the  rest,  there  is  a  little  land  in 
the  old  country,  and  an  income  which  I  believe  should  be 
enough  for  two.  It  seems  more  becoming  to  throw  my- 
self on  your  charity.'* 

"  And  what  would  Larry  do  without  you? ''  asked  Miss 
Schuyler. 

The  quick  enthusiasm  in  Breckenridge's  face  pleased 
her.  "  Larry's  work  is  splendidly  done  already,"  he 
said.  "  He  asked  nothing  for  himself — and  got  no  more ; 
but  now  the  State  is  offering  every  man  the  rights  he 
fought  for.  The  proclamations  are  out,  and  any  citizen 
who  wants  it  can  take  up  his  homestead  grant.  It  will 
be  something  to  remember  that  I  carried  his  shield ;  but 
Larry  has  no  more  need  of  an  armour-bearer." 

"  I  am  older  than  you  are." 

"  Ten  years  in  wisdom,  and  fifty  in  goodness,  but  I 
scarcely  fancy  that  more  than  six  months  separate  our 
birthdays.  Now,  I  know  I  am  not  expressing  myself 
very  nicely,  but,  you  see,  we  can't  all  be  eloquent,  and 
perhaps  it  should  count  for  a  little  when  I  tell  you  that 
I  never  made  an  attempt  of  the  kind  before.  I  am,  how- 
ever, most  painfully  anxious  to  convince  you." 

Miss  Schuyler  recognized  it,  and  liked  him  the 
more  for  the  diffidence  which  he  wrapped  in  hasty 
speech.  "  Then,"  she  said  softly,  "  if  in  six  months 
from  now " 

Breckenridge  swayed  in  his  saddle ;  but  the  girl's  heel 
was  quicker,  and  as  her  horse  plunged  the  hand  he  would 
have  laid  on  her  bridle  fell  to  his  side. 

"  No !  "  she  said.  "  If  in  six  months  you  are  still  in 
the  same  mind,  you  can  come  to  Hastings-on-the-Hud- 
son,  and  speak  to  me  again.     Then,  you  may  find  me 

364 


TORRANCE  RIDES  AWAY 

disposed  to  listen;  but  we  will  go  on  to  Fremont  in  the 
meanwhile." 

Breckenridge's  response  was  unpremeditated,  but  the 
half-broken  horse,  provoked  by  his  sudden  movement,, 
rose  with  fore  hoofs  in  the  air,  and  then  whirled  round  in 
a  circle.  Its  rider  laughed  exultantly,  swaying  lithely, 
with  the  big  hat  still  in  one  hand  that  disdained  the 
bridle;  but  his  face  grew  grave  when  there  was  quiet- 
ness again,  and  he  turned  towards  the  girl. 

"  I  shall  be  in  the  same  mind,"  he  said,  "  for  ever  and 
ever." 

They  rode  on  to  Fremont,  and  the  next  day  Brecken- 
ridge  drove  Miss  Schuyler,  who  was  going  back  to  New 
York,  the  first  stage  of  her  journey  to  the  depot.  A 
month  had  passed  when  one  evening  Torrance  rode  that 
way.  The  prairie,  lying  still  and  silent  with  a  flush  of 
saffron  upon  its  western  rim,  was  tinged  with  softest 
green,  but  broad  across  the  foreground  stretched  the 
broken,  chocolate-tinted  clods  of  the  ploughing,  and  the 
man's  face  grew  grimmer  as  he  glanced  at  them.  He 
turned  and  watched  the  long  lines  of  crawling  cattle  that 
stretched  half-way  across  the  vast  sweep  of  green;  and 
Larry  and  his  wife,  who  stood  waiting  him  outside  the 
homestead,  understood  his  feelings.  Raw  soil,  rent  by 
the  harrows  and  seamed  by  the  seeder,  and  creeping 
bands  of  stock,  were  tokens  of  the  downfall  of  the  old 
regime.  Then  Torrance,  drawing  bridle,  sat  still  in 
his  saddle  while  Hetty  and  her  husband  stood  by  his 
stirrup. 

"  I  promised  your  friend,  Hetty,  that  'I  would  see  you 
before  I  went  away,"  he  said.  "  I  left  Cedar  for  the 
last  time  a  few  hours  ago,  and  I  am  riding  in  to  the 
railroad  now.  The  stock  you  see  there  are  mine  and 
Allonby's,  and  the  cars  are  waiting  to  take  them  to 

365 


THE  CATTLE-BARON'S  DAUGHTER 

Omaha.  I  shall  spend  the  years  that  may  be  left  me  on 
the  Pacific  slope." 

Hetty's  lips  quivered,  and  it  was  Larry  who  spoke. 

"  Was  it  necessary,  sir  ?  '' 

Torrance  smiled  grimly.  ''  Yes.  The  State  offered 
me  a  few  paltry  concessions,  and  a  little  of  what  was 
all  mine  by  right.  It  didn't  seem  a  fit  thing  to  accept 
their  charity.     Well,  you  have  beaten  us,  Larry." 

Grant's  face  flushed  a  little.  **  Only  that  the  rest  will 
gain  more  than  the  few  will  lose  I  could  almost  be  sorry, 
sir." 

Torrance  swung  himself  down  from  the  saddle  and 
laid  his  hand  on  Hetty's  shoulder. 

"  You  have  chosen  your  husband  among  the  men  who 
pulled  us  down,  and  nothing  can  be  quite  the  same  be- 
tween you  and  me,"  he  said.  "  But  I  am  getting  an 
old  man,  and  may  never  see  you  again." 

Hetty  looked  up  at  him  with  a  faint  trace  of  pride  in 
her  misty  eyes.  "  There  was  nobody  among  our  friends 
fit  to  stand  beside  him,"  she  said.  "  If  you  kiss  me  you 
will  shake  hands  with  Larry." 

"  I  can  do  both,"  and  Torrance  held  out  his  hand  when 
he  turned  to  Grant.  "  Larry,  I  believe  now  you  tried  to 
do  the  square  thing,  and  there  might  have  been  less 
trouble  between  us  but  for  Clavering.  I  hope  you  will 
bear  me  no  ill  will,  and  while  we  can't  quite  wipe  out 
the  bitterness  yet,  by  and  by  we  may  be  friends  again." 

"  I  hope  so,  sir,"  said  Larry. 

Torrance  said  nothing  further,  but,  moving  stiffly, 
swung  himself  into  the  saddle  and  slowly  rode  away. 
Hetty  watched  him  with  a  curious  wistfulness  in  her 
eyes  until  he  wheeled  his  horse  on  the  crest  of  the  rise, 
and  sat  still  a  moment  looking  back  on  them,  a  lonely, 
dusky  object  silhouetted  against  the  paling  sky.     Thea 

366 


TORRANCE  RIDES  AWAY 

he  turned  again,  and  sank  into  the  shadowy  prairie, 
Hetty  clung  a  Httle  more  tightly  to  her  husband's  arm, 
and  for  a  time  they  stood  watching  the  crawling  cattle 
and  dim  shapes  of  the  stockriders  slowly  fade,  until  the 
last  pale  flicker  of  saffron  died  out  and  man  and  beast 
sank  into  the  night.  A  little  cold  wind  came  sighing  out 
of  the  emptiness  and  emphasized  its  silence. 

Hetty  shivered.  "  Larry/'  she  said,  "  they  will  never 
come  back." 

Grant  drew  her  closer  to  him.  "  It  had  to  be,  my 
dear,"  he  said.  **  They  blocked  the  way,  and  nothing 
can  stop  the  people  you  and  I — and  they — ^belong  to, 
moving  on.  Well,  we  will  look  forward  and  do  what 
we  can,  for  we  must  be  ready  to  step  out  when  our  turn 
comes  and  watch  the  rest  go  by." 


THE  END 


367 


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■  Ill  I       II        I  ————I— II  I  II         M: 

BEVERLY  OF  GRAUSTARK.     By  George  Barr  McCut. 
cheon.     With  Color  Fron*^^«jpiece  and  other  illustrations 
by  Harrison  Fisher.     Beautiful  inlay  picture  m  colors  of 
Beverly  on  the  cover. 
"  The  most  fascinating,  engrossing  and  picturesque  of  the  season's 
novels." — Boston  Herald.     "*  Beverly'  is  altogether  charming—al- 
most livmg  flesh  and  h\oo6." --Louisville   Times.     "Better  than 
*  Graustark  \*'—Mail  and  Express.    "  A  sequel  quite  as  impossible 
as  *  Graustark  *  and  quite  as  entertaining."— ^f7^^»2a«.     "  A  charms 
ing  love  story  well  toidJ*— Boston  Transcript^ 

HALF  A  r/^GUE.  By  Harold  MacGrath.  With  illustra^ 
tions  and  inlay  cover  picture  by  Harrison  Fisher. 
**  Here  are  dexterity  of  plot,  glancing  play  at  witty  talk,  characters 
really  human  and  humanly  real,  spirit  and  gladnes5,  freshness  and 
quick  movement.  *  Half  a  Rogue  *  is  as  brisk  as  t  hor3eback  ride  on 
a  glorious  morning.  It  is  as  varied  as  an  April  day.  It  is  as  charming 
as  two  most  charming  girls  can  make  it.  Love  and  honor  and  suc- 
cess and  all  the  great  things  worth  fighting  for  and  living  for  the  in- 
volved  in  *  Half  a  Rogue.*  "--Fhila,  Press, 

THE  GIRL  FROM  TIM'S  PLACE.  By  Charles  Cark 
Munn.  With  illustrations  by  Frank  T.  Merrill. 
**  Figuring  in  the  pages  of  this  story  there  are  several  strong  char- 
acters. Typical  New  England  folk  and  an  especially  sturdy  one,  old 
Cy  Walker,  through  whose  instrumentality  Chip  comes  to  happiness 
and  fortune.  There  is  a  chain  of  comedy,  tragedy,  pathos  and  love, 
which  makes  a  dramatic  story." — Boston  Herald, 

THE  LION  AND  THE  MOUSE.    A  story  of  American  Life. 

By  Charles  Klein,  and  Arthur  Hornblow.      With  illustra* 

tions  by  Stuart  Travis,  and  Scenes  from  the  Play. 

The  novel  duplicated  the  success  of  the  play ;  in  fact  the  book  is 

greater  than  the  play.    A  portentous  clash  of  dominant  personalties 

that  form  the  essence  of  the  play  are  necessarily  touched  upon  but 

briefly  in  the  short  space  of  four  acts.     All  this  is  narrated  in  the 

novel  with  a  wealth  of  fascinating  and  absorbing  detail,  making  it  one 

of  the  most  powerfully  written  and  exciting  works  of  fiction  given  to 

the  world  in  years. 

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BARBARA  WINSLOW,  REBEL.  By  Elizabeth  Ellis. 
With  illustrations  by  John  Rae,  and  colored  inlay  cover. 
The  following,  taken  from  storv,  will  best  describe  the  heroine : 
h  TOAST :  "  To  the  bravest  comrade  in  misfortune,  the  sweetest 
companion  in  peace  and  at  all  times  the  most  courageous  of  women." 
^Sarbara  Winslow.  "  A  romantic  story,  buoyant,  eventful,  and  in 
patters  of  love  exactly  what;the  heart^could  desire.  '^^New  York  Sun, 

SUSAN.  By  Ernest  Oldmeadow.  With  a  color  frontispiece 
by  Frank  Haviland.  Medalion  in  color  on  front  cover. 
Lord  Ruddington  falls  helplessly  in  love  with  Miss  Langley,  whom 
lie  sees  in  9ne  of  her  walks  accompanied  by  her  maid,  Susan. 
Tnrough  a  misapprehension  of  personalities  his  lordship  addresses 
ft  love  missive  tc  the  maid.  Susan  accepts  in  peixN^vt  good  faith, 
and  an  epistolary  love-making  goes  on  till  they  are  disillusioned.  It 
Haturaily  makes  a  droll  and  delightful  little  comedy ;  and  is  a  story 
that  is  particularly  clever  in  the  telling. 

WHEN  PATTY  WENT  TO  COLLEGE.  By  Jean  Web- 
ster. With  illustrations  by  C.  D.  Williams. 
*The  book  is  a  treasure.**— C/4/^«^^  Daily  News.  "Bright, 
f^rnimsical,  and  thoroughly  entertaining. " — Buffalo  Express.  *'  One 
of  the  best  stories  of  life  in  a  girl's  college  that  has  ever  been  writ- 
ten.'*—.A^.  Y.  Press.  "  To  any  woman  who  has  enjoyed  the  pleasures 
of  a  coUegelife  this  book  cannot  fail  to  bring  back  many  sweet  recol- 
lections ;  and  to  those  who  have  not  been  to  college  the  wit,  lightness, 
and  charm  of  Patty  are  sure  to  be  no  less  delightful."— -P/^^J/iV  Opinion^ 

THE  MASQUERADER.     By  Karherine  Cecil  Thurston. 
With  illustrations  by  Clarence  F.  Underwood. 

•*  You  can't  drop  it  till  yo\i  have  turned  the  last  ^gt.*^— Cleveland 
Leader.  **  Its  very  audacity  of  motive,  of  execution,  of  solution,  al- 
most takes  one's  breath  away.  The  boldness  of  its  denouement 
is  sublime."— -^^j/^«  Transcript,  "  The  literary  hit  of  a  generation. 
The  best  of  it  is  the  story  deserves  all  its  success.  A  maste  dy  story.** 
^-St.  Louis  Dispatch.  "  The  story  is  ingeniously  told,  and  cleverly 
constructed."— y:^^  Dial, 

THE  GAMBLER.    By  Katherine  Cecil  Thurston.     With 
illustrations  by  John  Campbell. 

**  Tells  of  a  high  strung  young  Irish  woman  who  has  a  pa3sion  fot 
gambling,  inherited  from  a  long  line  of  sporting  ancestors.  She  has 
a  high  sense  of  honor,  too,  and  that  causes  compUcations.  She  is  a 
very  human,  lovable  character,  and  love  saves  her."— ^.  K  Times* 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  I  NEW  YORK 

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THE  AFFAIR  AT  THE  INN.  By  Kate  Douglas  Wiggia. 
With  illustrations  by  Martin  Justice. 
"  As  superlatively  clever  in  the  writing  as  it  is  entertaining  ir*  the 
reading.  It  is  actual  comedy  of  the  most  artistic  sort,  and  it  is 
handled  with  a  freshness  and  originality  that  is  unquestionably 
novel"— Boston  Transcript,  "  A  feast  of  humor  and  good  cheer, 
yet  subtly  pervaded  by  special  shades  of  feeling,  fancy,  tenderness, 
or  whimsicality.    A  merry  thing  in  prose."— ^/.  Louis  JDemocra'*, 

ROSE  O'  THE  RIVER.  By  Kate  Douglas  Wiggin  With 
illustrations  by  George  Wright. 
'*Rose  o*  the  River,*  a  charming  bit  of  sentiment,  g^raceiuUy 
written  and  deftly  touched  with  a  gentle  humor.  It  is  a  dainty  book 
—daintily  illustrated."-;;— iVJ?w  York  Tribune,  "A  wholesome,  brighi, 
refreshing  story,  an  ideal  book  to  give  a  young  girl." — Chicago 
Record-Herald,  "  An  idyllic  story,  replete  with  pathos  and  inimita- 
ble humor.  As  story-telling  it  is  perfection,  and  as  portrait-painting 
it  is  true  to  the  MqJ— London  Mail, 

TILLIE:  A  Mennonite  Maid.  By  Helen  R.  Martin.  With 
illustrations  by  Florence  Scovel  Shinn. 
The  little  "  Mennonite  Maid  '*  who  wanders  through  these  pages 
is  something  quite  new  in  fiction.  Tillie  is  hun^y  for  books  and 
beauty  and  love ;  and  she  comes  into  her  inheritance  at  the  end. 
"  Tillie  is  faulty,  sensitive,  big-hearted,  eminently  human,  and  first, 
last  and^lways  lovable.  Her  charm  glows  warmly,  the  story  is  well 
handled,  the  characters  skilfully  developed." — The  Book  Buyer, 

LADY  ROSE'S  DAUGHTER.    By  Mrs.  Humphry  Ward. 

With  illustrations  by  Howard  Chandler  Christy. 

•*  The  most  marvellous  work  of  its  wonderful  author." — New  York 

World,    "We  touch  regions  and  attain  altitudes  which  it  is  not  given 

to  the  ordinary  novelist  even  to  approach.** — London  Times,     "la 

no  other  story  has  Mrs.  Ward  approached  the  brilliancy  and  vivacity 

'  of  Lady  Rose's  Daughter."— iVbrM  American  Review, 

THE  BANKER  AND  THE  BEAR.  By  Henry  K.  Webster. 
**  An  exciting  and  absorbing  story."— A^5»w  York  Times.  "Intense- 
ly thrilling  in  parts,  but  an  unusually  good  story  all  through.  There 
is  a  love  affair  of  real  charm  and  most  novel  surroundings,  there  is  a 
run  on  the  bank  which  is  almost  worth  a  year's  growth,  and  there  is 
all  manner  of  exhilarating  men  and  deeds  which  should  bring  the 
book  into  high  and  permanent  favor." — Chicago  Evening  Post. 

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Fields  and  Gardens  About  Our  Homes.  By  Neltje 
Blanchan.  With  an  Introduction  by  John  Burroughs, 
and  many  plates  of  birds  in  natural  colors.  Large 
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Books.  This  book  makes  the  identification  of  our  birds  simple  and 
positive,  even  to  the  uninitiated,  through  certain  unique  features. 

I.  All  the  birds  are  grouped  according  to  color,  in  the  belief  that  a 
bird's  coloring  is  the  first  and  often  the  only  characteristic  noticed. 

II.  By  another  classification,  the  birds  are  grouped  according  to  their 
season.  III.  All  the  popular  names  by  which  a  bird  is  known  are 
given  both  in  the  descriptions  and  the  index.  The  colored  plates 
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BIRDS  THAT  HUNT  AND  ARE  HUNTED.  Life 
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the  twenty-four  color  plates  which  show  the  more  important  birds  in 
characteristic  poses.  They  are  probably  the  most  valuable  and 
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Our  Wild  Flowers  and  Their  Insect  Visitors.  24  col*^ 
ored  plates,  and  many  other  illustrations  photographed 
directly  from  nature.  Text  by  Neltje  Blanchan. 
Large  Quarto,  size  75^x10^.  Cloth.  Formerly  pub- 
lished at  $3.00  net     Our  special  price,  $1.25. 

Suberb  color  portraits  of  many  familiar  flowers  in 
their  living  tints,  and  no  less  beautiful  pictures  in 
black  and  white  of  others— each  blossom  photo- 
graphed directly  from  nature — form  an  unrivaled 
series.  By  their  aid  alone  the  novice  can  name  the 
flowers  met  afield. 

Intimate  life-histories  of  over  five  hundred  species 
of  wild  flowers,  written  in  untechnical,  vivid  lan- 
guage, emphasize  the  marvelously  interesting  and 
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the  special  insect  to  which  each  is  adapted. 

The  flowers  are  divided  into  five  color  groups,  be- 
cause by  this  arrangement  any  one  with  no  knowl- 
edge of  botany  whatever  can  readily  identify  the 
specimens  met  during  a  walk.  The  various  popular 
names  by  which  each  species  is  known,  its  preferred 
dwelling-place,  months  of  blooming  and  geographical 
distribution  follow  its  description.  Lists  of  berry- 
bearing  and  other  plants  most  conspicuous  after  the 
flowering  season,  of  such  as  grow  together  in  differ- 
ent  kinds  of  soil,  and  finally  of  family  groups  ar- 
rangea  by  that  method  of  scientific  classification 
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which  has  now  superseded  all  others,  combine  to 
make  * '  Nature's  Garden  "  an  indispensable  guide. 

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THE  SPIRIT  OF  THE  SERVICE.  By  Edith  Elmer 
Wood.  With  illustrations  by  Rufus  Zogbaum. 
The  standards  and  life  of  "  the  new  navy  "  are  breezily  set  forth 
with  a  genuine  ring  impossible  from  the  most  gifted  "outsider.** 
**  The  story  of  the  destruction  of  the  *  Maine,*  anof  of  the  Battle  of 
Manila,  are  very  dramatic.  The  author  is  the  daughter  of  one  naval 
officer  and  the  wife  of  another.  Naval  folks  will  find  much  to  inter- 
est them  in '  The  Spirit  of  the  Service.*  ''—The  Book  Buyer. 

A  SPECTRE  OF  POWER.  By  Charles  Egbert  Craddock, 
Miss  Murfree  has  pictured  Tennessee  mountains  and  the  mountain' 
people  in  striking  colors  and  with  dramatic  vividness,  but  goes  back 
to  the  time  of  the  struggles  of  the  French  and  English  in  the  early 
eighteenth  century  for  possession  of  the  Cherokee  territory.  Tho 
story  abounds  in  adventure,  mystery,  peril  and  suspense. 

THE  STORM  CENTRE.    By  Charles  Egbert  Craddock. 

A  war  story;  but  more  of  flirtation,  love  and  courtship  than  o£ 
fighting  or  history.  The  tale  is  thoroughly  readable  and  takes  its 
readers  again  into  golden  Tennessee,  into  the  atmosphere  which  ha» 
distingfuished  all  of  Miss  Murfree  *s  novels. 

THE  ADVENTURESS.    By  Coralie  Stanton.    With  colof 
frontispiece  by  Harrison  Fisher,  and  attractive  inlay  covet 
in  colors. 
As  a  penalty  for  her  crimes,  her  evil  nature,  her  flint-like  callous- 
ness, her  more  than  inhuman  cruelty,  her  contempt  for  the  laws  of 
God  and  man,  she  was  condemned  to  bury  her  magnificent  personal- 
ty, her  transcendent  beauty,  her  superhuman  charms,    in   gilded 
obscurity  at  a  King*s  left  hand.    A  powerful  story  powerfully  told. 

THE    GOLDEN    GREYHOUND.     A  Novel  by  Dwight 
Tilton.    With  illustrations  by  E.  Pollak. 

A  thoroughly  good  story  that  keeps  you  g^uessing  to  the  very  end, 
and  never  attempts  to  instruct  or  reform  you.  It  is  a  strictly  up-to» 
date  story  of  love  and  mystery  with  wireless  telegraphy  and  all  the 
modem  improvements.  The  events  nearly  all  take  place  on  a  big 
Atlantic  liner  and  the  romance  of  the  deep  is  skilfully  made  to  server 
as  a  setting  for  the  romance,  old  as  mankind,  yet  always  new,  in- 
volving our  hero. 

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LAVENDER  AND  OLD  LACE.    By  Myrtle  Reed. 

A  charming  story  of  a  quaint  comer  of  New  England  where  bygone 
romance  finds  a  modern  parallel.  One  of  the  prettiest,  sweetest,  and 
quaintest  of  old-fashioned  love  stories  *  *  *  A  rare  book,  ex- 
quisite in  spirit  and  conception,  full  of  delicate  fancy,  of  tenderness, 
of  delightful  humor  and  spontaneity.  A  dainty  volume,  especially 
suitable  for  a  gift. 

DOCTOR  LUKE   OF  THE   LABRADOR.     By  Norman 
Duncan.    With  a  frontispiece  and  inlay  cover. 

How  the  doctor  came  to  the  bleak  Labrador  coast  and  there  in  sav- 
ing life  made  expiation.  In  dignity,  simplicity,  humor,  in  sympathetic 
etching  of  a  sturdy  fisher  people,  and  above  all  in  the  echoes  of  the 
sea.  Doctor  Luke  is  worthy  of  great  praise.  Character,  humor,  poign- 
ant pathos,  and  the  sad  grotesque  conjunctions  of  old  and  new  civili- 
zations are  expressed  through  the  medium  of  a  style  that  has  distinc- 
tion and  strikes  a  note  of  rare  personality. 

THE  DAY'S  WORK.    By  Rudyard  Kipling.    Illustrated. 

The  London  Morning  Post  says :  "  It  would  be  hard  to  find  better 
reading  *  *  *  the  book  is  so  varied,  so  full  of  color  and  life  from 
end  to  end,  that  few  who  read  the  first  two  or  three  stories  will  lay  it 
down  till  they  have  read  the  last — and  the  last  is  a  veritable  gem 

*  *  *  contains  some  of  the  best  of  his  highly  vivid  work  *  *  * 
Kipling  is  a  bom  story-teller  and  a  man  of  humor  into  the  bargain. 

ELEANOR  LEE.    By  Margaret  E.  Sangster.     With  a  front- 
ispiece. 
A  story  of  married  life,  and  attractive  picture  of  wedded  bliss    *    * 
s«i  entertaining  story  or  a  man's  redemption  through  a  woman's  love 

♦  *  *  no  one  who  knows  anything  of  marriage  or  parenthood  can 
read  this  story  with  eyes  that  are  always  dry  *  *  *  goes  straight 
to  the  heart  of  everyone  who  knows  the  meaning  of  "love  "and 
**  home." 

THE  COLONEL  OF  THE  RED  HUZZARS.  By  John 
Reed  Scott.  Illustrated  by  Clarence  F.  Underwood. 
♦*  Full  of  absorbing  charm,  sustained  interest,  and  a  wealth  of 
thrilling  and  romantic  situations.  "  So  naively  fresh  in  its  handlinp^, 
so  plausible  through  its  naturalness,  that  it  comes  like  a  mountain 
breeze  across  the  far-spreading  desert  of  similar  romances." — Gazette^ 
Timesy  Pittsburg.    "  A  slap-dashing  day  romance." — New  York  Sun. 

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THE  FAIR  GOD  ;  OR,  THE  LAST  OF  THE  TZINS, 
By  Lew  Wallace.    With  illustrations  by  Eric  Pape. 

"  The  story  tells  ot  the  love  of  a  native  princess  for  Alvarado,  and  it 
is  worked  out  with  all  of  Wallace's  skill  *  *  *  it  gives  a  fine  pic- 
ture of  the  heroism  of  the  Spanish  conquerors  and  of  the  culture  and 
nobility  of  the  Aztecs." — New  York  Commercial  Advertiser. 

"'Ben  Hur  sold  enormously,  but  The  Fair  God^2&  the  best  of  the 
General's  stories — a  powerful  and  romantic  treatment  of  the  defeat  of 
Montezuma  by  Cortes." — Athencsum, 

THE  CAPTAIN  OF  THE  KANSAS.    By  Louis  Tracy. 

A  story  of  love  and  the  salt  sea — of  a  helpless  ship  whirled  into  the 
hands  of  cannibal  Fuegians— of  desperate  fighting  and  tender  romance, 
enhanced  by  the  art  of  a  master  of  story  telling  who  describes  with 
his  wonted  felicity  and  power  of  holding  the  reader's  attention  *  *  * 
filled  with  the  swing  of  adventure. 

A  MIDNIGHT  GUEST.  A  Detective  Story.  By  Fred  M.' 
White.  With  a  frontispiece. 

The  scene  of  the  story  centers  in  London  and  Italy.  The  book  is- 
skilfully  written  and  makes  one  of  the  most  baffling,  mystifying,  ex- 
citing detective  stories  ever  written — cleverly  keeping  the  suspense 
and  mystery  intact  uncil  the  surprising  discoveries  which  precede 
the  end. 

THE  HONOUR  OF  SAVELLI.  A  Romance.  By  S.  Levett 
Yeats.  With  cover  and  wrapper  in  four  colors. 
Those  who  enjoyed  Stanley  Weyman's  A  Gentleman  of  France 
will  be  engrossed  and  captivated  by  this  delightful  romance  of  Italian 
history.  It  is  replete  with  exciting  episodes,  hair-breath  escapes, 
magnificent  sword-play,  and  deals  with  the  agitating  times  in  Italian 
history  when  Alexander  II  was  Pope  and  the  famous  and  infamous 
Borgias  were  tottering  to  their  fall. 

SISTER  CARRIE.  By  Theodore  Drieser.  With  afrontis 
piece,  and  wrapper  in  color. 
In  all  fiction  there  is  probably  no  more  graphic  and  poignant  study 
of  the  way  in  which  man  loses  his  grip  on  life,  lets  his  pride,  his  cour- 
age, his  self-respect  slip  from  him,  and,  finally,  even  ceases  to  struggle 
in  the  mire  that  has  engulfed  him.  *  *  *  There  is  more  tonic  val- 
ue in  Sister  Carrie  than  in  a  whole  shelfful  of  sermons. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  '-  NEW  YORK 


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